The 2023 NFL draft takes place on April 27-29 in Kansas City. Bettors can wager on how things will play out, as NFL draft odds are available at legal online sportsbooks. Ohio State’s CJ Stroud has moved ahead of Alabama’s Bryce Young as the favorite to be the first overall pick. Florida’s Anthony Richardson and Kentucky’s Will Levis are currently third and fourth on the board. The Chicago Bears had the first overall pick, but they traded it to the Carolina Panthers. The Houston Texans have the second pick, with the Arizona Cardinals rounding out the top three. Here are the key things to know about betting on the 2023 NFL draft at legal online sportsbooks.
2023 NFL draft odds: Betting on the first overall NFL pick
Sports betting odds are out for who will be the first overall selection at the 2023 NFL draft. Four QBs are the current favorites. Here’s a look at the players on top of the current odds board from DraftKings Sportsbook.
| Player | Position | Team | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| CJ Stroud | QB | Ohio State | -225 |
| Bryce Young | QB | Alabama | +225 |
| Anthony Richardson | QB | Florida | +350 |
| Will Levis | QB | Kentucky | +4000 |
| Will Anderson | LB | Alabama | +10000 |
| Jalen Carter | DT | Georgia | +13000 |
| Tyree Wilson | LB | Texas A&M | +13000 |
| Christian Gonzalez | CB | Oregon | +13000 |
| Will McDonald IV | DE | Iowa State | +13000 |
| Myles Murphy | DE | Clemson | +15000 |
| Bryan Bresee | DT | Clemson | +15000 |
| Paris Johnson | OT | Ohio State | +15000 |
| Peter Skoronski | OT | Northwestern | +15000 |
| Devon Witherspoon | CB | Illinois | +15000 |
NFL Draft Odds last updated: March 17
Current favorites to go first overall in the 2023 NFL draft
With the NFL season over, the draft odds have continued to move. The top two favorites have been holding strong, but there has been some movement behind them. Here’s a quick look at the current favorites.
- QB CJ Stroud, Ohio State
Stroud led the way for a high-powered Buckeyes offense that advanced to the College Football Playoff, and he was also one of the four finalists for this year’s Heisman Trophy. Ohio State came up just short versus Georgia in the semifinals, falling by a score of 42-41. Stroud did his part, throwing for 348 yards and four TDs.
- QB Bryce Young, Alabama
Last year’s Heisman Trophy winner was hoping to join Archie Griffin and become only the second player to win the prestigious award twice, but he failed to make the cut as the Crimson Tide didn’t live up to preseason expectations. Alabama had to settle for an invite to the Sugar Bowl, pulling out a convincing 45-20 win as Young threw for 321 yards and five TDs.
- Anthony Richardson, Florida
Following his first full year as the starter for Florida, Richardson declared for the NFL draft. The Gators went 6-6 last season before falling to Oregon State at the Las Vegas Bowl. Richardson skipped the game in favor of going pro. He threw for 2,549 yards, 17 TDs and nine INTs in his final college season. His stock has been on the rise as the offseason moves along.
- QB Will Levis, Kentucky
Levis rose up the charts after a solid start to the season for himself and the Wildcats. The club hit a rough patch in SEC play and finished with a record of 7-6, falling 21-0 to Iowa in the Music City Bowl. For the season, Levis completed 65.4% of his passes for 2,406 yards, 19 TDs and 10 INTs.
- LB Will Anderson, Alabama
A linebacker hasn’t been the first overall pick since 1988. Anderson doesn’t appear likely to break that streak, but he’s in position to be a lofty choice. The Alabama standout was the Bronko Nagurski award winner in 2021 while leading the nation with 17.5 sacks. This season, he racked up 51 total tackles, 10 sacks and an interception.
How NFL draft betting works
As the NFL season plays out, you can bet on who will be the first overall pick at the next draft. The goal is simple. Here’s how a bet would work if we pick one of the top favorites:
- Bryce Young +130
- CJ Stroud +195
- Jalen Carter +600
- Will Anderson +650
- Will Levis +1400
If we bet $100 on the favorite at odds of +130, and that proved to be the right call, then we would receive back $130 in winnings. For a $100 bet on one of the longer shots at +1400, our profit potential is $1,400.
As the season rolls along, you can expect to see an option to bet on which team will have the first overall pick in the next draft. When the event itself is drawing near, the floodgates will start to open. Here are some of the other bets you may see:
- First two picks in order
- Second overall pick, third overall, etc.
- First player drafted by position
- Player to be drafted in top five, 10, etc.
- First player or position selected by team
- Total number of players drafted by position, school, or conference
- Over/under on player draft positions
While sports betting is legal in a growing number of states, the rules for betting on a draft can vary. For the 2022 NFL draft, the following states allowed wagering:
Michigan and West Virginia required you to wager by the day before the draft started. Connecticut, Iowa, New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia did not allow draft betting, but Ontario did. Additional information on state-specific rules is available on our legal US sports betting tracker page.
Which team has the 1st pick at the 2023 NFL draft?
Barring any trades that disrupt the order, positioning at the NFL draft depends on the standings from the previous season. The team with the worst overall record picks first, followed by the second-worst team, and so on. Here’s the updated order for the 2023 NFL Draft.
- 1 – Carolina Panthers (acquired from Bears for multiple picks and D.J. Moore)
- 2 – Houston Texans
- 3 – Arizona Cardinals
- 4 – Indianapolis Colts
- 5 – Seattle Seahawks (from the Denver Broncos in the Russell Wilson deal)
- 6 – Detroit Lions (from the Los Angeles Rams in the Matthew Stafford deal)
- 7 – Las Vegas Raiders
- 8 – Atlanta Falcons
- 9 – Chicago Bears (acquired from Panthers as part of trade of the first overall pick)
- 10 – Philadelphia Eagles (from the New Orleans Saints at the 2022 NFL draft)
- 11 – Tennessee Titans
- 12 – Houston Texans (from the Cleveland Browns in the Deshaun Watson deal)
- 13 – New York Jets
- 14 – New England Patriots
- 15 – Green Bay Packers
- 16 – Washington Commanders
- 17 – Pittsburgh Steelers
- 18 – Detroit Lions
- 19 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- 20 – Seattle Seahawks
- 21 – Miami Dolphins (forfeited due to NFL tampering investigation)
- 22 – Los Angeles Chargers
- 23 – Baltimore Ravens
- 24 – Minnesota Vikings
- 25 – Jacksonville Jaguars
- 26 – New York Giants
- 27 – Dallas Cowboys
- 28 – Buffalo Bills
- 29 – Cincinnati Bengals
- 30 – New Orleans Saints (pick previously traded from 49ers to the Dolphins, then flipped to the Broncos as part of the Bradley Chubb trade; now belongs to the Saints as part of a deal for head coach Sean Payton)
- 31 – Philadelphia Eagles
- 32 – Kansas City Chiefs
The Texans held the lead in the chase for the first overall pick heading into the final week of play, but a victory over the Colts changed that. The Bears clinched the top spot with a loss to the Vikings in the finale. Chicago traded the first pick to the Panthers for multiple selections and D.J. Moore. Three clubs — the Broncos, Rams and Browns — have already traded a first-round pick in the quest for a franchise QB, while the Texans and Lions currently hold a pair of picks each in the opening round. There will only be 31 players selected in the opening round this year due to punishment that the Dolphins received following tampering allegations.
NFL first overall pick history
Over the past decade of the NFL draft, the team with the first overall pick has selected a QB six times. Here’s the full list:
| Year | Team | Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Jacksonville Jaguars | Travon Walker | DE | Georgia |
| 2021 | Jacksonville Jaguars | Trevor Lawrence | QB | Clemson |
| 2020 | Cincinnati Bengals | Joe Burrow | QB | LSU |
| 2019 | Arizona Cardinals | Kyler Murray | QB | Oklahoma |
| 2018 | Cleveland Browns | Baker Mayfield | QB | Oklahoma |
| 2017 | Cleveland Browns | Myles Garrett | DE | Texas A&M |
| 2016 | Los Angeles Rams | Jared Goff | QB | California |
| 2015 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Jameis Winston | QB | Florida State |
| 2014 | Houston Texans | Jadeveon Clowney | DE | South Carolina |
| 2013 | Kansas City Chiefs | Eric Fisher | OT | Central Michigan |
This trend also holds true on an all-time basis. Here’s the complete position breakdown of top picks by position:
- Quarterbacks: 34, last in 2021
- Running backs: 23, last in 1995
- Defensive linemen: 16, last in 2022
- Offensive linemen: Six, last in 2013
- Wide receivers: Five, last in 1996
- Linebackers: Four, last in 1988
- Defensive backs: One, in 1956
College football can be cyclical. However, some programs have produced more top picks than others. Here are all of the schools with multiple No. 1 picks:
- Five: Georgia, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, USC
- Four: Auburn, Stanford
- Three: LSU, Ohio State, Texas
- Two: California, Miami, Michigan, Nebraska, Penn State, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia Tech
For the past decade, just one school has produced more than one first pick. Oklahoma QB Baker Mayfield went No. 1 to the Cleveland Browns in 2018, and the Arizona Cardinals took Kyler Murray as the top pick the following year.