2024 NFL Draft: Oddsmakers bet on how many defenders will go in first round

All the mock drafts are suggesting it, but it seems a solid prediction that the first round of the NFL Draft will be dominated by offensive players.

How many offensive players? The over/under for total offensive players suggested is 21. The defensive over/under is 11. Keep in mind, there are no linebackers or safeties with a first-round projection. You can do the math. There are 32 slots in the first round.

So why is the offense getting such a big showcase? Well, there is a quarterbacks class that could swell to six first rounders, which would tie an NFL Draft record. The wide receivers should have a banner first round. And there will be offensive linemen everywhere. Latest odds suggest as many as 10, or almost one third of the slots, going to the o-linemen. Let’s take a look at the defensive prop bets — the odds for defensive linemen as provided by BetOnline.

5.5 is over/under for defensive linemen in NFL Draft first round

Oddsmakers and NFL Draft analysts aren’t sure who will be the first defensive lineman off the board. Keep in mind, this position group also includes edge rusher, which is a catch-all phrase for defensive ends in a 4-3 or outside linebackers in a 3-4.

Alabama edge rusher Dallas Turner hopes to be like his former teammate, Will Anderson, as the first defender off the board in the first round. Anderson went to the Texans at No. 3, behind two quarterbacks, in the 2023 NFL Draft. He then earned NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.

Turner has odds of 10/11. Meanwhile, UCLA star Laiatu Latu has some momentum for the first defender off the board. His odds are 5/2. Teams have to come to terms on whether Latu’s neck injury he suffered while he was playing for Washington will impact his pro career. Here are the others in play as first defender off the NFL Draft boards:

Byron Murphy II (Texas): 9/2
Jared Verse (Florida State): 5/1
Chop Robinson (Penn State): 50/1
Jer’Zhan Newton (Illinois): 50/1

Over/under for first round cornerbacks: 4.5

Call this a battle between the blue bloods and the mid-level program over achievers. Toledo’s Quinyon Mitchell, currently, is the favorite to be the first cornerback off the NFL Draft Board.

Mitchell enjoyed an excellent NFL Combine, running a 4.32-second time in the 40-yard dash and registering a 38-inch vertical. Daniel Jeremiah, the chief draft analyst for NFL Network, said this week that the Ravens may be willing to trade up for Mitchell. So see, it’s not all about the quarterbacks or receivers.

Meanwhile, Alabama’s Terrion Arnold has the second-best odds at 5/4. The SEC always produces quality cornerbacks, so it wouldn’t be a big jump for an NFL team to use a high draft pick on a Crimson Tide star. Here are the others in the mix as the first DB:

Cooper DeJean (Iowa): 14/1
Nate Wiggins (Clemson): 18/1
Kool-Aid McKinstry (Alabama): 50/1
Ennis Rakestraw Jr. (Missouri): 100/1
T.J. Tampa (Iowa State): 100/1

Here’s how dire it might be for defenders hoping to go in the first round of the NFL Draft. Current mock drafts are predicting only one defender may go in the top 10. Barring any sort of trade, the Falcons are the first team in the draft order looking for a defensive player. And Atlanta drafts eighth.

To catch up on all things NFL Draft, click it here to read On3’s coverage.