2023 NFL Draft Odds: First Look at Top Pick Options

As the NFL shifts to the divisional round of its postseason tournament, Super Bowl odds continue to change. However, the teams that already started their offseason have shifted their focus to the draft. And now that the college football season has also ended, many of the prospects have declared their draft eligibility. As a result, the 2023 NFL Draft odds boards continue to shift with each new name added to the mix. 

The 2023 NFL Draft is set for Thursday, April 27. Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium will host this year’s proceedings, and like in years past, a quarterback is expected to go with the No. 1 overall pick. Alabama quarterback Bryce Young opened as the heavy betting favorite to be the top pick, but that changed once Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud announced he’s entering the 2023 draft as well. 

For the 2023 draft, the Chicago Bears own the top pick thanks to their league-worst 3-14 record in 2022. Thing is, the Bears don’t really need a quarterback, considering the play of Justin Fields this season. That opens the door to an intriguing number of options, all of which affect the NFL draft odds. 

NFL odds support the recent draft history that shows quarterbacks come off the board first more often than not. Teams selected quarterbacks with the top pick in six of the last eight drafts. Last year, the Jacksonville Jaguars took edge rusher Travon Walker with the first pick, snapping a string of four straight years with a QB going first overall. 

Bryce Young has nothing left to prove in college football. Young helped Alabama win the 2020 College Football Playoff National Championship and earned the 2021 Heisman trophy award. Last season, Young led the Crimson Tide to yet another 11-win season and a dominant victory in the Cotton Bowl. He threw for 3,328 passing yards and 32 touchdowns in 2022 and stands with the short NFL Draft top pick odds.

There’s a chance a team that wants to nab the best quarterback prospect on the board might overwhelm Chicago with a trade offer. 

C.J. Stroud authored one of the best statistical seasons in college football last year, earning a spot among the 2022 Heisman trophy finalists. Stroud recorded 41 touchdowns last season, second-most in the nation, and impressed against the eventual national champs, the Georgia Bulldogs, in the CFP semifinals. He registered 348 passing yards and four touchdowns in the near-upset.  

Some draftniks consider Stroud to be the best quarterback prospect on the board, meaning a team may trade up for him. FanDuel lists the shortest NFL Draft first pick odds for Stroud at +170. 

Will Anderson stands out as the best defensive player on the 2023 draft board. With prototypical size for an edge, Anderson recorded 27.5 sacks over the last two seasons. Many consider him the best pass rusher in the draft, and would fit a need in Chicago. Should the Bears keep their pick, he might be another monster to add to the Midway. 

BetRivers provides Anderson’s shortest odds (+350) to be the 2023 NFL Draft’s top pick, trailing only his teammate, Young, on their board. 

Coming off back-to-back national championships, there’s a better-than-zero chance that Jalen Carter comes off the board first at the 2023 NFL Draft. That would give the University of Georgia back-to-back top picks as well. Carter earned unanimous All-American and First-Team SEC honors in 2022. Despite missing time this season with a knee injury, Carter produced 25 quarterback pressures, including 17 hurries and three sacks on the year. 

At 6-3, 310 pounds, Carter sports ideal size for a defensive lineman and fits a clear need for the Bears. Caesars provides Carter’s best NFL Draft odds at +800, but he also sees +650 odds at PointsBet.