NFL Draft Picks: It wasn’t all that long ago that the Houston Texans were mired in the basement of not just the AFC South but the AFC, with no real path out. Their owner and general manager seemed incapable of doing much besides angering the few talented people they’d managed to sign and blaming everything on the head coach. Then they hired DeMeco Ryans as their head coach and drafted C.J. Stroud at quarterback, and now things have started to click. Their 2023 draft took the cultural changes that Ryans brought and added the right talent at the right places, and with the addition of Stefon Diggs in this off-season, the Texans should be considered favorites to win their division and perhaps even win a couple of playoff games. Let’s look at some of the key picks from the strongest draft classes from 2023 as you think about the and your NFL betting plan for the fall.
2024/25 NFL Season Betting Analysis: Top Five NFL Draft Picks
Houston Texans
First Round: C.J. Stroud (QB) (No. 2 overall), Will Anderson Jr (DE) (3)
Second Round: Juice Scruggs (OL) (62)
Third Round: Tank Dell (WR) (69)
Dell, along with Nico Collins and now Diggs, will give Stroud a terrific set of route runners and make the Texans the premier offense in the AFC South. Dell was heading toward a 1,000-yard receiving season before breaking his league in December, but he is on track to return in 2024. Stroud and Anderson were the Offensive and Defensive Rookies of the Year, respectively. Stroud posted a 23:5 TD:INT ratio and led the Texans to an unexpected division crown. Collins blew by his career highs in most of th receiving categories. Anderson had seven sacks – four coming in December alone – while playing through an injured ankle.
Pittsburgh Steelers
First Round: Broderick Jones (OT) (14)
Second Round: Joey Porter Jr (CB) (32), Keeanu Benton (DT) (49)
Third Round: Darnell Washington (TE) (93)
Jones started his rookie campaign as the backup to Dan Moore at left tackle and then took over on the right side after the benching of Chuks Okorafor, who has since been released. Jones showed both athleticism and spunk in his blocking and should hold one of the tackles down for a long time.
Porter was the son of another Steeler of note, a terrifying pass rusher. However, he earned that second-round selection and took a starting job in just the first few weeks of the season, permitting just one touchdown on the season. He was a deserving finalist for Defensive Rookie of the Year. Benton joined Porter in playing in every game. Washington only caught seven passes on the season for 61 yards, but he earned time on the field for his blocking prowess. According to Pro Football Focus, he was the team’s fourth-best pass blocker.
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L.A. Rams
Second Round: Steve Avila (OG) (36)
Third Round: Byron Young (LB) (77), Kobie Turner (DT) (89)
Fifth Round: Puka Nacua (WR) (177)
What about the first round? Well, the Rams haven’t had a pick in the first round since 2016, when they took Jared Goff at #1. Since then, they’ve dealt the first-rounders away to acquire players. Nacua, despite slipping to the fifth round, had one of the greatest rookie campaigns for a wideout in NFL history. He caught 105 balls for 1,486 yards and six scores, and he ran the ball 12 times for 89 yards. He was Matthew Stafford’s top option until Cooper Kupp recovered from injuries.
Avila took the job at left guard in training camp and played every offensive snap in the 2023 campaign – with only two penalties in 17 games. His pass protection improved steadily over the course of the year. Young and Turner were two of the top defensive rookies in the NFL this season and gave opposing offenses something to think about other than Aaron Donald. Turner tied the team’s rookie sack record, posting nine. Young had eight sacks, two forced fumbles and 19 quarterback hits.
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Odds to Win Super Bowl 59 – Top 10 in the NFL Draft Picks
- San Francisco 49ers +525
- Kansas City Chiefs +600
- Baltimore Ravens +900
- Buffalo Bills +1200
- Detroit Lions +1200
- Cincinnati Bengals +1400
- Dallas Cowboys +1500
- Houston Texans +1500
- Philadelphia Eagles +1600
- Miami Dolphins +2000
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2023/24 NFL Draft Picks Betting Predictions
The 2023 NFL draft is just two weeks away, which means that the rumors are flying everywhere about which team will draft which player. The Carolina Panthers have the first pick right now, from the Chicago Bears, so it looks like their direction is clear, but let’s take a look at how the draft might go. Remember – each pick, particularly in the first round – has the potential to impact your NFL betting this season.
NFL Draft Picks: 10 Predictions that Every Bettor Should Consider
Will Carolina choose Bryce Young or C.J. Stroud?
C.J. Stroud was the favorite to get picked by the Panthers, but recent weeks have brought those odds around to make Young the favorite. Young is “just” 5’10” and 204 pounds, but he has a feel for the position that should compensate for this. Frank Reich, a former NFL starting quarterback, is the head coach, so he should recognize the potential that Young brings. The Panthers seem to think that they can win now, even after trading Christian McCaffrey, and Young’s accuracy makes him a more natural fit for Reich.
Stroud, of course, has plenty of bullet points in his favor as well. He was Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year twice, and she showed pocket efficiency, arm strength and accuracy to just about every window on the field. His weaknesses come outside the pocket, when scrambling and creating seemed to cause problems. He showed promise in the win over Michigan and the loss to Georgia, so even if the Panthers take Young, the Texans will have an elite choice at quarterback when they take the second pick.
Will Arizona switch spots with Indianapolis?
Arizona sits at #3 in the draft, and the Colts sit at #4. With Stroud and Young both likely off the board at this point, and with the Cardinals supposedly set at quarterback, the Colts would do well to make the swap to move up and take Anthony Richardson out of Florida. He can scramble at an elite level, and he can pass out of the pocket. He was throwing big bombs at the combine. The Cardinals are shopping this pick, so the Colts should take advantage. Then the Cardinals would look at…
Edge rusher Will Anderson Jr heads to the desert
J.J. Watt, Markus Golden and Zach Allen have all left town during the off-season, so Anderson would make a start at filling that gap on the D-line. He’s the best non-quarterback in this draft, and the Cardinals need a defensive presence.
Seattle takes Tyree Wilson with the fifth pick
How did the Seahawks get the fifth pick? This was part of the haul from trading Russell Wilson last off-season. Wilson is a linebacker from Texas Tech with length (35 ⅝” arms) and size (6’6”, 271 pounds). He improved each year with the Red Raiders, and he would join Darrell Taylor and Uchenna Nwosu in harassing opposing passers.
Detroit solves a defensive problem with the sixth pick
Devon Witherspoon out of Illinois could be the cornerback that the Lions need. Their offense took off last season, but the passing defense was in the bottom three last year. He is the best cover corner in the class this year, and his physicality will fit in with the toughness that has been instilled in Detroit.
Las Vegas shores up the secondary with the seventh pick
The Raiders still don’t have a true shutdown corner despite having signed 24 free agents to this point, as well as adding Jimmy Garoppolo and Brian Hoyer to join Josh McDaniels. Christian Gonzalez out of Oregon has a 4.38 40, which will help him stay with receivers, and he has the size (6’1”, 197 pounds) to bang bodies when he needs to.
Atlanta strengthens their pass rush with the eighth pick
Clemson might not have won the ACC, but they still have an elite defense, and edge rusher Myles Murphy is one of their latest products. He ran a 4.51 40 despite weighing almost 270 pounds, just 0.02 seconds behind USC wideout Jordan Addison. That kind of speed will pay off as Murphy learns the pro game from the likes of Calais Campbell and Lorenzo Carter.
Chicago uses the ninth pick to solidify the second level of their defense
The Bears dropped from one to nine in the draft in exchange for a haul, and Jalen Carter should still be on the board. He would be the best defensive lineman in Chicago from the moment the team drafted him. There are questions, of course. He didn’t look that great at Georgia’s pro day, and he has some court issues tied to a January car crash that killed a teammate and a recruiting staffer.
Philadelphia puts some depth behind Fletcher Cox
Yes, the Eagles have the tenth pick in this draft, from New Orleans, and look for them to add Lukas Van Ness out of Iowa to put some D-line depth behind the likes of Cox, Darius Slay, James Bradberry and Brandon Graham. Jordan Davis is another part of the youth movement behind those four, but now Van Ness adds depth at the edge rusher position.
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