The NFL Draft takes place April 29–May 1, 2021 and will return to some form of familiarity. Last year’s draft happened two months into the COVID-19 pandemic and was relegated to Zoom– removing all in-person aspects like fans, hugs, and the like. Thankfully, the 2021 draft will return fans and in-person drafting when it takes place in Cleveland, Ohio. The Greater Cleveland Sports Console is taking protocols from Super Bowl LV in Tampa and the NBA Playoff Bubble in Orlando to hold a safe draft that’s as close to normal as they can get.

NFL Draft Betting Odds. Here is a look at the odds for some of the different NFL Draft bets you can make at SportsBetting.ag.You can find the up to date odds at the SportsBetting website by opening the ‘Football’ drop down menu and selecting ‘NFL Draft’ in the sportsbook. How to bet on first WR drafted One of the most common NFL Draft prop wagers are those that involve betting on which player will be the first drafted at each position. To find these wagers in an online sportsbook, click the NFL tab to navigate toward the 2020 Draft section.

With the central focus shifted off the virus, it’s time to take a look at this year’s draft pool. We’re here to give you positional rundowns, including who the favorites are to be drafted where and what players are generating league buzz.

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NFL draft odds: First WR drafted

There’s a trio of immensely talented receivers at the top of draft boards and– similar to last year’s draft– any one of them could be the first receiver off the board. The odds-on favorite is LSU’s Ja’Marr Chase (-167), who sat out the 2020 season in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Behind him is Heisman Trophy winner DeVonta Smith (+140) and Alabama’s Jaylen Waddle (+700). Chase has been hailed as the most “pro ready” of the three and was the winner of the Fred Biletnikoff Award (nation’s best receiver) in 2019.

Other first-round-potential receivers include Minnesota’s Rashod Bateman and Florida’s Kadarious Toney. It would be a major shakeup for either of those players to be the first of the position off the board.

How to bet on first WR drafted

One of the most common NFL Draft prop wagers are those that involve betting on which player will be the first drafted at each position. To find these wagers in an online sportsbook, click the NFL tab to navigate toward the 2021 Draft section. Once there, click on “First Pick by Position” to view the players in the market and their corresponding odds.

NFL Draft: 2021 WR profiles

Ja’Marr Chase, LSU: Chase was one of the best receivers in 2019 but did not play in 2020 (opt out). He pulled in a staggering 1,780 yards and 20 touchdowns (both SEC-season records) on just 84 receptions in LSU’s prolific system, averaging over 21 yards per reception. He has the ideal combination of speed, route-running, and hands that makes him an excellent pro prospect and the favorite to be picked first. The one knock on Chase that keeps him from being the runaway favorite is that his numbers came in a record-breaking system under Joe Brady and he had the benefit of catching passes thrown by Joe Burrow (both a Heisman winner and multi-record setter); there’s no film on Chase without those two factors in place.

Regardless, the player that Chase is makes him a top-10 overall prospect and he’s expected to go in the top 10. He’s been mocked as early as third overall to the Dolphins (though Miami is a likely candidate to trade down), fourth to the Falcons, and almost no later than sixth to the Eagles. While not at the top of their needs list, Chase could go fifth to the Bengals and be reunited with his college quarterback. He could also be targeted by teams via a trade-up, though not many teams at the top aren’t in need of a receiver. Bottom line: don’t expect him to be on the draft board past the sixth or seventh picks.

DeVonta Smith, Alabama: It may come as a surprise to some that the Heisman Trophy winner is not only not the favorite to be selected first overall, but isn’t even the favorite to be the first picked in his position group. Smith had a terrific season in the wake of the injury to counterpart Jaylen Waddle, lighting the college football world on fire along the way. The main worry with Smith is his frame– he sits at about 175 pounds– but his ability to make tacklers miss and his grittiness in traffic make up for any insecurities there.

Whether he was a product of an Alabama system and volume (due to Waddle being out) remains to be seen, but is a point often found in scouting reports. Smith will be an early-first round pick for certain, it’s just a matter of where? He’s in the conversation at the number three pick to Miami (though they are a strong trade-down candidate) and also to teams like Philadelphia (6), Detroit (7), and the New York Giants (10). If there’s one player that could see a first round slide, Smith is a likely candidate; teams seem to be higher on both Chase and Jaylen Waddle.

Jaylen Waddle, Alabama: Before suffering a season-ending ankle injury, Jaylen Waddle was on pace to put up DeVonta Smith numbers and potentially win the Heisman Trophy himself. In six games, Waddle hauled in almost 600 yards and four touchdowns at over 21 yards per reception. As the Alabama passing offense continued to evolve, eventually turning Smith into a production machine, it’s worth wondering what statline Waddle could have finished with.

He’s a bit bulkier than Smith (weighing 182 pounds at 5′ 10″) and is comparably fast to him, often flat out winning foot races en route to a touchdown. Waddle was capable of putting up numbers while sharing the pie with dynamic receivers like Jerry Jeudy, Henry Ruggs III, and DeVonta Smith (not to mention dynamic running backs Josh Jacobs and Najee Harris). Though his Vegas odds to be the first receiver drafted are the lowest between him, Smith, and Chase; Waddle sits atop many draft boards as the best receiver available and he could be great value when betting who will be taken first.

Rashod Bateman, Minnesota: Rashod Bateman almost didn’t play in 2020, initially opting out of the season before changing his mind. He did eventually pass on the Gophers’ last few games, announcing his re-opting out in late November. Bateman shared the field with now-Bucs receiver Tyler Johnson in 2019, still putting up over 1,200 yards and 13 touchdowns. He thrived at Minnesota with pristine route running and excellent technique. Bateman would work best in the NFL in a system like Johnson landed in– a vertical offense with a competent quarterback.

Mock drafts don’t necessarily have Bateman landing in that ideal system, with the receiver landing somewhere near the back of the first round. Teams that could take interest in him include the Colts (21), Jets (23), or Ravens (27). While projected as a first-round talent, Bateman could fall into the early second, which many analysts do project; however, he could also be taken as high as the late teens by teams like Washington or Chicago. It’d be a surprise to see him drafted ahead of any of the aforementioned receivers, though.

Kadarius Toney, Florida: Another year, another Florida speedster to enter the NFL. Kadarius Toney is a 4.4-second 40-yard dash kind of guy who is featured prominently in the slot. He was utilized in the run game and was a multi-sport athlete in high school, making Toney especially dangerous with the football in his hands. He’ll likely find a niche in the NFL as a WR3 and slot guy in an up-tempo offense that airs the ball out. However, his role as a speedy slot guy doesn’t mean he’s undersized; Toney sits taller than Waddle and weighs just 10 pounds short of Chase.

Toney’s best landing spots include Kansas City (31), New Orleans (28), and Green Bay (29) at the end of the first round, though it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him slip into the second round. The Chiefs are an especially-dangerous landing spot for Toney, though Kansas City might be looking more into offensive linemen at that spot. Teams in the early second round that could grab Toney include Jacksonville (33), the New York Jets (34), or Detroit (41).

Rondale Moore, Purdue: Moore has been one of the most exciting players in the country for years and, potentially, Purdue’s most explosive players ever. He routinely terrorized good teams like Ohio State while showing he can single-handedly take over a football game (2018). The biggest question mark surrounding Moore is his durability; the receiver missed most of 2019 due to a recurring hamstring issue and another three games in 2020 due to a “lower body” injury. The second injury sent Moore’s draft stock into free fall, pushing him from initially a high first-round pick to a solidly Day 2 guy.

Whoever pulls the trigger on Moore is getting a major question mark with lots of risk. He’s extremely versatile, playing significant snaps from every receiving position to special teams to running back and Wildcat. Should Moore hold up physically, he could turn into one of the most explosive players in the NFL among guys like Tyreek Hill and Saquon Barkley.

Terrace Marshall, Jr., LSU: In the absence of Ja’Marr Chase, Terrace Marshall Jr. quickly became the favorite target of the LSU Tigers’ offense. He led the team in both receptions (48) and touchdowns (10) in just seven games. Marshall was excellent out of the slot but also saw plenty of time split out wide; he’s also one of the tallest receivers in the class at 6′ 3″. While he wasn’t burning defensive backs with blazing speed, Marshall is a big, physical target who’s excellent at the catch point. He has a good feel for soft spots on the field and has great vision after the catch.

For the majority of his career, Marshall was buried under Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson, but mightily improved his draft stock in 2020. Currently, Marshall is a fringe first-rounder, landing with teams like Kansas City or New Orleans. He won’t go ahead of most guys on this list, but could surprise some should a team fall in love with his size and physicality.

NFL Draft WR history

Here is a list of the first wide receivers taken in each NFL Draft going back to 2010.

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NFL Draft betting strategy and trends

Last year’s draft class looks a lot like this year’s draft class, and it can be used to project what 2021 will look like. A class ago, Jerry Jeudy, Henry Ruggs III, and CeeDee Lamb were a trio well above the rest of the group that were all projected to be picked in the top half of the first round. Jeudy and Ruggs were, but Lamb slipped to the Dallas Cowboys at 17 despite many scouts ranking him as the top receiver in the class. Could 2021 see a similar fall with Jaylen Waddle?

After those three went, Jalen Reagor went 21st to the Eagles and Justin Jefferson was picked 22nd to the Vikings. Brandon Aiyuk was a surprise, going 25th to the 49ers, rounding out the first round group of 2020. A utility player like Kadarius Toney or Rondale Moore could be a late-first round surprise to a team like New Orleans who loves gadget players. While DraftKings Sportsbook doesn’t currently offer an over/under prop on receivers drafted on Day 1, it wouldn’t be surprising to see as low as four and as high as seven receivers taken this year.

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