NFL Draft Betting: Malik Nabers New Favorite to Be No. 5 Overall Pick

The Los Angeles Chargers’ roster looks much different today than it did a week ago.

And because of that, there has been a shift in the odds to be the No. 5 overall pick.

Notre Dame offensive tackle Joe Alt was the previous favorite, but following the departures of wideouts Mike Williams and Keenan Allen, LSU pass-catcher Malik Nabers now has the best odds to land with Los Angeles.

Alt has dropped down into a tie for the third-best odds, as multiple leaguewide moves have brought a new wrinkle to the top of the draft.

Here are the five most likely players to go No. 5, according to DraftKings on March 18th. We will break down the reason for all the odds movement below.

DraftKings' Odds to be the No. 5 Overall Pick in the Draft

• Malik Nabers +175
• J.J. McCarthy +400
• Marvin Harrison, Jr. +500
• Joe Alt +500
• Rome Odunze +600

Malik Nabers (+175): This one is pretty straightforward. The Chargers have a star quarterback in Justin Herbert but are now woefully short on pass-catchers following the departures of stars Allen and Williams. Los Angeles was in a salary cap crunch and had to make those moves, which opens up the real possibility that Nabers is the pick. He is widely projected to be the second wideout taken behind Marvin Harrison, Jr..

J.J. McCarthy (+400): There is a lot of buzz about McCarthy going in the top-six of the draft. The Giants could take him at 6, unless another team trades up for his services. The Vikings are the team many has pinpointed after they traded for the No. 23 overall pick last week. Minnesota can now package Nos. 11 and 23 along with other draft capital to get McCarthy. The Chargers could be interested in that deal as they replenish the roster, which is why the odds for McCarthy to go No. 5 have shot up.

Marvin Harrison, Jr. (+500): This was seen as a major longshot before free agency, but the oddsmakers now believe Harrison going No. 5 is feasible. The most likely scenario for this to play out: the Vikings trade up to No. 4 with the Cardinals and grab McCarthy, which would leave Los Angeles to choose any non-quarterback available. Harrison, Jr. has -650 odds to be the first non-quarterback selected, per DraftKings.

Joe Alt (+500): The Chargers’ new coach is Jim Harbaugh, who believes in playing a run-oriented smash-mouth style. Therefore, Alt should not be totally discounted. However, the Chargers are in better shape at tackle than wide receiver, and the upside of both Nabers and Harrison, Jr. is vast. Alt was the expected pick when Mike Williams and Keenan Allen were on the roster, but no more.

Rome Odunze (+600): While Nabers is the receiver most expect to go second in that prospect group, Odunze is also seen in the top tier of pass-catchers. If the Chargers have a preference for the Washington star, they could do the surprising move and bypass Nabers in favor of Odunze. It doesn’t seem particularly likely to happen, but it is something to consider.

Here is a look at the rest of the odds to be the No. 5 overall pick in the NFL draft, which can be wagered on at DrafKings:

• Taliese Fuaga +1200
• Brock Bowers +1800
• Drake Maye +2000
• Dallas Turner +2000
• Olu Fashanu +2500
• J.C. Latham +2500
• Jayden Daniels +2500
• Quinyon Mitchell +5000
• Troy Fautanu +6000
• Terrion Arnold +6000
• Michael Penix, Jr. +6000
• Bo Nix +6000
• Byron Murphy II +6000
• Amarius Mims +6000
• Laiatu Latu +7500
• Jared Verse +7500
• Kool-Aid McKinstry +10000
• Spencer Rattler +10000
• Michael Hall, Jr. +10000
• Jer’Zhan Newton +10000
• Nate Wiggins +10000
• Jeremiah Trotter, Jr. +10000
• Javon Bullard +10000
• Jackson Powers-Johnson +10000
• Keon Coleman +10000
• Brian Thomas, Jr. +10000
• Cooper DeJean +10000
• Tyler Guyton +10000
• Xavier Worthy +10000
• Blake Corum +10000
• Edgerrin Cooper +10000
• Caleb Williams +15000