The 2024 NFL Draft is set for Thursday through Saturday, and it will take place in downtown Detroit. Below, we analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s NFL Draft odds for NFL prospects and tab who will be the first defensive player drafted — just one of many SportsbookWire’s expert NFL picks and predictions.
In 2023, it didn’t take long for the first defensive player to go off of the board. The Houston Texans jumped all over Alabama LB Will Anderson Jr. with the No. 3 overall pick. In fact, we had 4 defensive players go in the first 9 picks, and 10 go in the first 19 selections.
Let’s take a look at the prospects for the 2024 NFL Draft, and tab who should be the first defensive player to go off the board.
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NFL odds: First defensive player drafted
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Wednesday at 10:10 a.m. ET.
- LB Dallas Turner: +100 (bet $100 to win $100)
- DE Laiatu Latu: +200 (bet $100 to win $200)
- DL Byron Murphy II: +250 (bet $100 to win $250)
- DL Jared Verse: +900 (bet $100 to win $900)
- CB Quinyon Mitchell: +1300 (bet $100 to win $1,300)
- CB Terrion Arnold: +2000 (bet $100 to win $2,000)
For more odds: See BetMGM Sportsbook
NFL Draft: Best bets
The pick – DALLAS TURNER (+100)
All of the talking heads seem to be in full agreement that another Alabama player, Turner, will be the first defensive player selected Thursday.
Turner was productive for Nick Saban’s Crimson Tide, registering 22.5 sacks with 58 solo tackles and 2 forced fumbles in his 3 seasons in Tuscaloosa. The 6-foot-4, 242-pound EDGE rusher might not be going far, either. A lot of experts seem to feel he’ll be headed up Interstate 20 a few hours to Atlanta as the Falcons have a need for somebody to get after the quarterback.
Worth a shot – JARED VERSE (+900)
The EDGE rusher spent 2 seasons at Florida State after transferring from UAlbany after the 2021 season. In 2 seasons in Tallahassee, Verse racked up 88 total stops, including 45 solo tackles, while registering 18 sacks with a forced fumble.
Verse might not be as polished of a pass rusher as Turner, but it’s possible one of the more needy defensive teams see his ceiling as a little bit higher, while Turner might be more of a plug-and-play option.
It will be interesting to see when Verse is selected as he could be the first defensive player taken in the top 10, or he could potentially fall past the top 20. This is a high-risk, high-reward type of wager.
Sleeper – QUINYON MITCHELL (+1300)
We’ve seen teams fall in love with a defensive prospect before, stunning the crowd and the talking heads with a shocking pick. Mitchell, the cornerback out of Toledo, has been scooting up draft boards and mock drafts everywhere.
In fact, Mitchell has surpassed Alabama’s Arnold as the top-rated cornerback by some experts.
Mitchell, who grew up near the University of Florida campus, didn’t get a chance to stay home. Instead, he headed to MAC country and starred for a good Toledo defense. He barely played in 2020 in the COVID season, but he starred in the past 3 campaigns, going for 117 total tackles, including 87 solo stops, with 45 passes defensed, a sack, a forced fumble and 6 interceptions, including 2 pick-sixes.
Cornerback-needy teams like the Las Vegas Raiders or Los Angeles Chargers might like Mitchell so much, they could potentially trade up to foil one another.
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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.
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