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NFL draft betting, odds: Ohio State's C.J. Stroud is a big favorite to go No. 1 to Carolina
Stroud has taken Bryce Young's place as the favorite to be the No. 1 overall pick after Carolina traded up
Ohio State QB C.J. Stroud is now the overwhelming favorite to be the first pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Stroud is now at -350 at BetMGM to be picked by the Carolina Panthers with the first pick on April 27. The Panthers traded for the No. 1 overall pick from the Chicago Bears on March 10 in a deal that sent four draft picks — including the Panthers’ No. 9 selection this year and a future first in 2024 — and WR D.J. Moore to the Bears.
Stroud was not the favorite to be the No. 1 overall pick before the trade. In the days before the trade was announced, Stroud was at +400 to be the top pick.
Those odds made Stroud the No. 2 favorite for the top pick behind Alabama’s Bryce Young. The 2021 Heisman winner was at -190 to be the top pick when the Bears still held the top spot and were entertaining trade offers from teams looking to trade up for a quarterback.
But it now looks likely — at least by the betting odds — that Stroud will be the preferred choice of the Panthers. Carolina has already signed Andy Dalton to be a placeholder at the quarterback spot if necessary.
Young is the second favorite to be the top pick at +250 and Florida’s Anthony Richardson is at +900. Kentucky QB Will Levis is a long shot at +5000 and every other player available outside of the top four quarterbacks is at +15000 or longer to be the top pick. It’s a very safe assumption that Carolina gave up all the draft capital it did to select a quarterback.
With Young no longer the favorite to be the top pick, he’s a massive favorite to be taken with the No. 2 selection. The Houston Texans hold that pick and Young is at -300 to go second.
Stroud is +300 to go second while Richardson and Levis are both at +1400. Alabama edge rusher Will Anderson is at +2500 to be the second pick ahead of Texas Tech edge rusher Tyree Wilson and Georgia defensive lineman Jalen Carter at +6600 each.
Who will go third?
The Arizona Cardinals currently hold the third selection and are unlikely to draft a quarterback after recently signing Kyler Murray to a long-term deal before he suffered a knee injury in 2022. If two quarterbacks go in the first two picks, the Cardinals could be in a unique position to hold an auction of sorts for a team looking to jump the Indianapolis Colts at No. 4 and draft a quarterback at No. 3.
That’s why there’s no clear favorite for the No. 3 pick at the moment. Anderson and Richardson are both +125 to be taken third with Levis at +550. It reasons that oddsmakers like the chances of Anderson being selected by the Cardinals if they keep the pick or Richardson getting taken if a team trades up for a QB.
