It looks like the big free-agent signings that are going to happen before the 2024 NFL draft have come and gone. The draft is set for April 25-27 ina pair Detroit, and the first overall pick belongs to the Chicago Bears, who got it from Carolina in a blockbuster trade last spring that send the Panthers their #1 pick in 2023 in exchange for two later first-roundes and wide receiver D.J. Moore. After the Bears, the rest of the top five picks go to the Washington Commanders, the New England Patriots, the Arizona Cardinals, and the L.A. Chargers. Two of these five teams (Washington and the Chargers) will enter 2024 with new head coaches, so a splash in the draft would be welcome there. Let’s take a look at the likely top five NFL draft picks – and how their arrival might influence your sports betting.
2024/25 NFL Season Betting Analysis: Top Five NFL Draft Picks
Round 1: Thursday April 25 8PM ET
Rounds 2-3: Friday April 26 7PM ET
Rounds 4-7: Saturday April 27 12PM ET
Chicago Bears
NFL Draft Picks: QB, WR, EDGE, DT, OT
Justin Fields is now in Pittsburgh, which means that the Bears are starting over in their quarterback quest once again. Other than Sid Luckman and Jim McMahon, what dominant players have the Bears ever had at quarterback? It’s insane that this storied franchise can’t find a signal-caller. Did they give up on Fields too soon? Maybe. Most outlets have the Bears taking quarterback Caleb Williams out of USC in the first round. He is the latest quarterback to come from the tutelage of Lincoln Riley, who prepped Jalen Hurts and Baker Mayfield for the NFL. The Bears have Keenan Allen to run routes in the formation opposite Moore. They could add some depth, but this is potentially the scariest Bears’ passing attack since the NFL started to move away from the single-wing formation.
Washington Commanders
NFL Draft Picks: QB, WR, EDGE, CB, OT
LSU’s Jayden Daniels demonstrated at his pro day that he had been improving his skillet moving in the pocket. Kliff Kingsbury may yet show that he is a much better offensive coordinator in the NFL than he is at head coach as Dan Quinn’s new OC. Daniels can elude pass rushers and has a cannon arm, but footwork was an area of improvement for him as he left LSU. Since the Commanders shipped Sam Howell to Seattle, they now have a third- and a fifth-round pick in this draft, instead of a fourth and a sixth, so they could fill some of their non-quarterback needs. Quinn brought Dante Fowler Jr and Dorance Armstrong from Dallas in the off-season, but you can never have too many edge rushers.
New England Patriots
NFL Draft Picks: QB, OT, DT, WR, CB
It’s difficult to wrap my head around the fact that talking about the Patriots no longer includes talking about Bill Belichick, but here we are. Mac Jones is a Jaguar. Bailey Zappe, at least for now, has topped out as a backup. One of the more popular mock draft picks for New England at #3 is Drake Maye, who left North Carolina after two seasons to enter the draft. There are some who look at Maye as the next version of Josh Allen (tall, strong, hard to bring down, cannon of an arm), and we know how well Allen has done in the AFC East lately…if not the playoffs. The Patriots also need a left tackle to protect Maye’s back as Trent Brown departed via free agency.
Arizona Cardinals
NFL Draft Picks: WR, EDGE, CB, OG/C, RB
Is Kyler Murray the franchise quarterback in Arizona? After he returned from injury late in 2023, he showed that he still has elite speed and an ability to drop throws in just about any window. The questions about leadership and decision-making will take another whole season to answer. Will the Cardinals’ history of collapsing in the second half of the season come to an end now that Kingsbury is gone? Because the top needs of the Cardinals will be available well after #4, the best bet here is that a team like Denver makes a trade for the fourth pick.
L.A. Chargers
NFL Draft Picks: WR, RB, OT, OG/C, CB
The Chargers still have Justin Herbert, but they no longer have Mike Williams and Keenan Allen, as the salary cap made it necessary to part ways with both of them. The best wide receiver on the draft board is Marvin Harrison Jr out of Ohio State. The team took Quentin Johnston with their first pick a year ago, but he didn’t provide much in the way of consistency. The team added Gus Edwards from Baltimore at tailback, but we’ve seen time and time again that one tailback is not enough, especially if the team wants to run as much as Jim Harbaugh seems likely to want to.
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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NFL Draft Picks for 2024/25 Season
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