And the First Pick In The 2019 NFL Draft Is…

Oh, NFL, how much do we miss you? So much that we spend way more time reading about the upcoming draft than we really should. We’ve listened to experts, studied mock drafts, and, lord help us, we actually watched the combine like we actually knew what we were looking at. But April 26^this almost here, and we can stop arguing about who should go #1, and start arguing about why there is so much time in between draft pick selections. ( I mean, seriously, it’s usually 3 in the morning when the Patriots make their pick.)

This year, there’s more options than ever on which you can bet, so we wanted to go over some of the bigger ones today, and hit some of the more obscure, yet potentially enriching options tomorrow. So let’s get started!

Who’s #1? (and Who’s Picking?)

The Arizona Cardinals are on the clock. 

Right?

It seems like ever since the clock struck zero on the Super Bowl in February, we’ve been discussing whether or not the Cardinals will take Kyler Murray with the #1 pick. As we see it, there are only three options:

• Draft Murray. Trade Rosen. 
• Draft Bosa. Watch Murray become a superstar. Cry.
• Trade down. Watch Murray and Bosa both become superstars. Cry more.

Nobody really knows what the Cardinals are thinking, least of all Josh Rosen, which, no matter what you think of him as a player and person, has to suck. Oddsmakers still think Murray is going #1, but with these are the same Cardinals that hired a coach nobody expected, so there’s no guessing what they’re going to do on draft day. 

Who’s Better: Bosa, Williams, Allen, or Oliver?

We all know that Nick Bosa is the best player in this draft. I mean, that’s what the Kipers and McShays and Mortensons all say. But they aren’t the GMs of the Cards, 49ers or Jets. (And, judging from the past few seasons of each team, there’s a case maybe they should?) In the heat of the moment, weird stuff happens. You start questioning Bosa’s injury history. You remember that you really need an edge rusher instead of a lineman. You start having Steve Emtman and Dion Jordan flashbacks. And you pick the guy nobody thought you’d pick. While Bosa is still in the mix for first overall pick, and first overall Defensive Lineman, the other three aren’t far behind. A small bet on any of them could go a long way.

Biggest Bust Potential: Wide Receiver

Odell Beckham Jr. was the third receiver picked in the 2014 class. Tyreek Hill was the 19^threceiver picked in the 2016 draft. Doug Baldwin never even got drafted. What’s the point we’re trying to make? That nobody knows anything about how wide receivers will do coming out of college. That leads to a lot of differing opinions on who will and should go first in the draft. Various mocks have Marquise Brown being the first WR taken, while others have A.J. Brown. But the oddsmakers have their money on D.K. Metcalf, who despite his size and speed has people worried about his agility and route-running ability. (Plus the fact that he was only the 3^rdleading receiver in 2019…on his own team!) That said, it feels like there’s some really good value to be had in picking the first WR taken on Thursday.

Of course there are a bunch of other bets you can makefor Thursday, be it position drafting, number of certain positions drafted in the first round (beware the unavoidable “run on offensive lineman” that seems to occur in every draft) and the always fun “Number of Alabama Players selected in the First Round” bet.

It’s going to be a fun one! Look for more previews on the Draft tomorrow.