Betting the 2021 NFL Draft: Prop Bets Part I

There’s many sporting events over the course of the year that people like to go big on when it comes to betting.

Some people load up on Super Bowl prop bets or an actual game.

Me? I like draft prop bets. Whether it be the NFL or the NBA, the draft processes for both sports are my favorite to research and speculate over.

With that being said, Here are the bets I like the most tonight.

Exact Playing Position the Miami Dolphin’s First Drafted Player: Wide Receiver -150

At the beginning, the Miami Dolphins were in prime position to take this year’s No. 1 wide receiver in LSU’s Ja’Marr Chase. But as time went on, it became apparent that the Cincinnati Bengals were going to bypass taking the draft’s best tackle in Oregon’s Penei Sewell in favor of reuniting quarterback Joe Burrow with his favorite target in college when the two won a national championship together.

Just because the Dolphins won’t get the alleged best receiver in the class, doesn’t mean I think they’re going to pass and go another direction. It came out this week that the Dolphins prefered Alabama’s Jaylen Waddle over Chase anyway. While I’m not sure if I believe that, I do think the Dolphins will go through with taking a wideout, whether it be Chase if he falls, Waddle or Heisman Trophy winner DeVonta Smith.

Micah Parsons’ Draft Position: Over 13.5 +105

Watching Penn State’s Micah Parsons’ draft stock fall over the last few months has been astonishing.

When he plays, he was easily a top-five talent and was regarded as such. But after choosing to sit out this past college football season to prepare for the draft, we forgot how good he is. Out of sight, out of mind. He’s been compared to players such as Tampa Bay’s Devin White, who became a household name in the team’s run to the Super Bowl last season.

Alleged character concerns haven’t helped. Initially, when the Denver Broncos made the trade for Teddy Bridgewater, I thought Parsons could be a possibility to go No. 9 overall, but after seeing the last mock drafts from Todd McShay, Mel Kiper Jr. on ESPN and NFL Network’s Peter Schrager’s last mock drafts released this afternoon, Kiper has Parsons falling to No. 15 to the Detroit Lions after mocking a trade with the New England Patriots. McShay has Parsons falling all the way to No. 19 to the Washington Football Team, while Schrager has Parsons falling to No. 17 to the Las Vegas Raiders.

Considering none of those guys whose jobs it is to know have cooled on the Penn State product severely, I’ll take the bet on him falling at plus-money.

Najee Harris Draft Position: Under 24.5 -112

Former Alabama running back Najee Harris is going to make some team very happy this evening.

According to many of the mock drafts from analysts mentioned earlier in this piece, it seems like Harris is a perfect fit to go to Pittsburgh at 24. The Steelers haven’t gotten much from their run game since Le’Veon Bell’s departure. James Conner had a nice year that first year, going for over 900 yards and 12 touchdowns, but found himself in the injury report more often than not in the two years that followed.

Conner recently departed for Arizona leaving the Steelers with a need at running back. I know they also lost Maurkice Pouncey, but an interior lineman this high doesn’t sit right with me. I like taking the No. 1 running back who had arguably better stats than previous Crimson Tide running backs that have a Heisman Trophy in their collection. You can get a starting interior guy on Day 2. Take a player that will produce right away and help Ben Roethlisberger not have to throw anywhere near as many times as he did in 2020.