The 2023 NFL Draft kicks off Thursday night and will see fans across the league cheer or boo their teams' picks during the live telecast and discuss the selections for weeks and years to come.
Here’s a look at what fans need to know.
How to Watch the 2023 NFL Draft: The NFL Draft is here with teams selecting players they think can be part of rosters. For several teams, the draft could be the home of their future starting quarterback as they look to make up for trading away players such as Aaron Rodgers and the retirement of Tom Brady.
The 2023 NFL Draft first round will air on ABC and ESPN, units of Walt Disney Co. DIS at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday night. The draft will also air on the NFL Network and stream on the ABC app, ESPN app, NFL app and NFL.com for those with cable packages.
This marks the 44th year ESPN will broadcast the NFL Draft and draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. is part of the ESPN television crew for the 40th year.
The second and third rounds of the NFL Draft will air on the same channels on Friday, April 28 beginning at 7 p.m. ET.
The fourth through seventh rounds will take place on the same channels on Saturday, April 29 beginning at 12 p.m. ET.
2023 NFL Draft Order: The following is the first-round draft order at the time of writing, with the potential for several trades made before and during the event.
1. Carolina Panthers (from Chicago)
2. Houston Texans
3. Arizona Cardinals
4. Indianapolis Colts
5. Seattle Seahawks (from Denver)
6. Detroit Lions (from Los Angeles Rams)
7. Las Vegas Raiders
8. Atlanta Falcons
9. Chicago Bears (from Carolina)
10. Philadelphia Eagles (from New Orleans)
11. Tennessee Titans
12. Houston Texans (from Cleveland)
13. Green Bay Packers (from New York Jets)
14. New England Patriots
15. New York Jets (from Green Bay
16. Washington Commanders
17. Pittsburgh Steelers
18. Detroit Lions
19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
20. Seattle Seahawks
21. Los Angeles Chargers
22. Baltimore Ravens
23. Minnesota Vikings
24. Jacksonville Jaguars
25. New York Giants
26. Dallas Cowboys
27. Buffalo Bills
28. Cincinnati Bengals
29. New Orleans Saints (from San Francisco via Miami and Denver)
30. Philadelphia Eagles
31. Kansas City Chiefs
This marks the first time the Carolina Panthers have had the first overall pick since 2011 when they drafted Cam Newton.
Five teams do not have a first-round pick in 2023 with the Denver Broncos, Los Angeles Rams, Cleveland Browns, Miami Dolphins and San Francisco 49ers looking to trade up or sitting out the first round Thursday.
Betting Odds: At sportsbooks such as DraftKings Inc DKNG there are tons of options available for fans and bettors looking to play along with the selection.
Items that can be bet on include the pick number, draft position over/under, position total in the first round, over/under by position, player to be taken in top five, player to be taken in top 10, player to be taken in first round, first of several positions taken and more.
The current favorites at DraftKings for the top eight picks are:
1. Bryce Young -5000; CJ Stroud +1200; Will Levis +1200; Anthony Richardson +5000
2. Will Anderson -300; Stroud +285
3. Stroud -140; Anderson +250
4. Richardson +100; Levis +110
5. Jalen Carter -300
6. Devon Witherspoon -200
7. Christian Gonzalez +250; Paris Johnson +300
8. Bijan Robinson +175
Related Link: Can Aaron Rodgers Help New York Jets Break The Longest Playoff Drought? A Look At The Betting Odds
Reddit Impacts Odds: One of the bigger storylines of the 2023 NFL Draft is the number of quarterbacks that could get their name called in the top 10. All indications point to the Panthers, who traded up for the pick, taking a quarterback with Young as the likely pick.
Different than past years, the number one overall pick has not been confirmed by the team to see betting odds removed ahead of the draft.
Making matters more complicated was a viral post on Reddit that reported that Levis, the quarterback from Kentucky moving up draft boards, was going to be taken first overall.
For months, Young and Stroud have been considered the top two quarterbacks in the draft.
User SaleAgreeable2834 on Reddit, who has only posted two times, said that Levis has been telling friends and family that the Panthers were going to take him first overall.
As reported by Action Network, the Reddit post saw Levis see a huge boost in the odds market, dropping from 60-to-1 to go first overall to 6-to-1 at FanDuel and even going as high as 3-to-1 at PointsBet before gradually falling back down.
On Thursday, viewers will find out if the Reddit user was pulling the ultimate troll move or if this was someone with some inside information.
Bets to Watch: Big trades could impact the draft order and which selections are made. Based on mock drafts and position needs, here are some bets to keep an eye on.
First Offensive Lineman Taken: Peter Skoronski +500, Northwestern tackle has been moving up boards and could go in the top 10 over Paris Johnson, the favorite at odds of -450.
First Tight End Taken: Dalton Kincaid +150, Utah TE has been listed higher on most mock drafts at the position than the betting favorite Michael Mayer, who has odds of -190.
Fourth Pick: Levis +110, slight underdog to Richardson at +100, playing the hotter hand and the guy moving up the board.
For more on the sports betting landscape and what could be next for popular betting segments and legislation, tune in to the Benzinga Sports Betting Titans virtual event on May 24.
Photo: Shutterstock
© 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
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