The 2021 NFL Draft is set to commence on Thursday, meaning there is no better time than now to take a look at our prop bets for the first round of the upcoming draft.
Take a look at our picks for three of FanDuel’s 2021 NFL Draft props.
#3 Overall Pick in the 2021 NFL Draft
Having traded up to get the No. 3 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, the San Francisco 49ers have reportedly set their sights on either Alabama quarterback Mac Jones or North Dakota State quarterback Trey Lance, according to several sources.
The report seemingly rules out the possibility of San Francisco selecting Justin Fields out of Ohio State with the No. 3 overall pick, despite several analysts believing that Fields is the third best quarterback prospect in this year’s draft class.
Given that the 49ers are just over one year removed from an NFC Championship and appearance in Super Bowl LIV, Kyle Shanahan believes that he still has a roster that is capable of winning and winning now, despite their 6-10 record in 2020.
In his four seasons with San Francisco, current quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo has managed to play more than six games on just one occasion. Garoppolo played six games in 2017, three games in 2018, 13 games in 2019 (which resulted in San Francisco making the Super Bowl) and just six games in 2020.
49ers have narrowed down their decision on the No. 3 pick to Mac Jones and Trey Lance, per @RapSheet pic.twitter.com/cynh5vAZRi
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 26, 2021
With this in mind, we believe San Francisco will select Mac Jones with the No. 3 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. Having thrown for 4500 yards and 41 touchdowns in Alabama’s 2020/21 National Championship winning season, Jones is viewed as a more pro-ready option that can play right now, as opposed to Trey Lance and Justin Fields.
Jones is a durable and accurate pocket passer who could seamlessly fit into the 49ers offense. Both Lance and Fields are undoubtedly superior athletes with higher ceilings, however it is believed that both prospects will take longer to develop and establish themselves in the NFL.
NFL Draft Prediction: Mac Jones (-250)
Kyle Pitts Draft Position – Over/Under 5.5
Coming out of Florida, Kyle Pitts is arguably the best receiving tight-end prospect in the history of the NFL Draft. At 6’6’’ and 246 pounds, Pitts caught 43 passes for 770 yards and 12 touchdowns in just eight games during his junior year with the Gators.
However, as talented as Pitts is, we believe he will slip outside the top five picks in the upcoming draft due to the need and necessity of the teams with the picks. Given that it is almost a foregone conclusion that quarterbacks will be selected with picks one, two and three in Thursday’s draft, the Falcon’s at pick four and the Bengals at pick five are Pitts’ only chances of being a top five selection.
Kyle Pitts was a playmaking machine for @GatorsFB. pic.twitter.com/dPOCoJ78tr
— SEConCBS (@SEConCBS) April 21, 2021
When looking at the two teams that could see this market result in the under, Atlanta have one of the most talented receiving corps in the league, headlined by Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley, and are more than likely going to select one of the remaining quarterbacks or the best offensive lineman or defensive weapons in the draft class.
While Cincinnati the only team in the top five that are set at quarterback with 2020’s No. 1 pick Joe Burrow. Protecting Burrow in the pocket is the number one goal the Bengals going forward, making offensive tackle Penei Sewell out of Oregon a more suitable pick than Pitts.
Barring the Falcons trading down from their pick, we can’t see Pitts being selected in the top five picks in the 2021 NFL Draft, although we do believe he is a top five talent.
NFL Draft Prediction: Over 5.5 (+136)
Total Running Backs Drafted in Round 1 – Over/Under 0.5
This is an easier one for us, as only two drafts since 1964 have not seen a running back selected in the first round. While more recently, a total of 17 running backs have been selected in the first round of the draft since 2010, an average of 1.7 per draft class.
Given the talent of Najee Harris out of Alabama, Travis Etienne out of Clemson, and Javonte Williams out of North Carolina, it’s reasonable to expect that a running back goes in Round 1.
Harris is RB1 coming into the 2021 NFL Draft, having rushed for 1,262 yards and 24 touchdowns in his senior year with Alabama, while also adding 32 catches for 316 yards and three touchdowns in the air. Harris also became the Crimson Tide’s all-time rushing leader with 3,639 yards in his collegiate career.
PFF’s FINAL NFL Draft RB rankings‼️
How would you rank them? 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/HpbSveY0d1
— PFF (@PFF) April 20, 2021
At 5-foot-10 and 215 pounds, Etienne isn’t being talked about of the same level as Harris despite carrying a whopping 686 times in college for 4,952 yards and 70 touchdowns with the Tigers, while UNC’s Javonte Williams was recently ranked No.1 on Pro Football Focus’ final NFL Draft running back rankings.
With three talented running backs on the board, we like at least one of these prospects to be selected in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft.
NFL Draft Prediction: Over 0.5 (-270)
Round 1 Order for the 2021 NFL Draft:
1. Jacksonville Jaguars
2. New York Jets
3. San Francisco 49ers (from Miami Dolphins via Houston Texans)
4. Atlanta Falcons
5. Cincinnati Bengals
6. Miami Dolphins (from Philadelphia Eagles)
7. Detroit Lions
8. Carolina Panthers
9. Denver Broncos
10. Dallas Cowboys
11. New York Giants
12. Philadelphia Eagles (from Miami Dolphins via San Francisco 49ers)
13. Los Angeles Chargers
14. Minnesota Vikings
15. New England Patriots
16. Arizona Cardinals
17. Las Vegas Raiders
18. Miami Dolphins
19. Washington Football Team
20. Chicago Bears
21. Indianapolis Colts
22. Tennessee Titans
23. New York Jets (from Seattle Seahawks)
24. Pittsburgh Steelers
25. Jacksonville Jaguars (from Los Angeles Rams)
26. Cleveland Browns
27. Baltimore Ravens
28. New Orleans Saints
29. Green Bay Packers
30. Buffalo Bills
31. Baltimore Ravens (from Kansas City Chiefs)
32. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The 2021 NFL Draft is less than one week away! If you want to catch up with all the latest information, make sure you visit our NFL hub page.
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of FanDuel.
Image by: Sam Greenwood
