Winston Big Betting Favorite to Go First Overall in NFL Draft

Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston is an overwhelming -1500 favorite (bet $1,500 to win $100) at the sportsbooks to be the top pick in the 2015 NFL Draft after the sophomore left the Seminoles following a two-year college career that saw him lose only one game. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers hold the top pick in the draft.

Of course the one loss for Winston came against Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota in the College Football Playoff semifinals back on January 1 when Florida State lost 59-20 to the Ducks. Winston had a tough time against the Oregon pass rush in that Rose Bowl game, which saw the Seminoles playing mostly from behind, as he passed for 348 yards but turned the ball over twice.

Mariota followed Winston as the Heisman Trophy winner this past year and turned in a better performance than him en route to beating Florida State with 338 yards passing, 62 rushing and three total touchdowns, including one on the ground.

The junior from Honolulu is sitting at -500 odds to be picked second overall in the draft, but will it be by the Tennessee Titans? Numerous teams are rumored to be interested in trading up for him including the Philadelphia Eagles, with head coach Chip Kelly linked to Mariota for obvious reasons as his college coach during his freshman year.

Bettors can actually also wager YES or NO at -120 that the Titans will end up drafting Mariota.

Outside of quarterbacks the other skill positions hold plenty of intrigue as well in terms of how many running backs and wide receivers will be selected in the first round. Bettors can wager OVER or UNDER on 1.5 running backs and 5.5 wide receivers being drafted in the first round this year at the sportsbooks.

With more and more offenses in the NFL focusing on the passing game and more and more defenses trying to stop them, explosive wide receivers have become a top priority for many teams.

This year’s draft has loads of talent at the position, led by Alabama’s Amari Cooper and West Virginia’s Kevin White, who almost certainly will be the top two receivers off the board. Cooper and White are both expected to go in the Top 10 while four others have a solid shot to also be drafted in the first round. Cooper’s draft position is listed at O/U 5.5 with the UNDER favored (-140), while White’s is 7 with the UNDER also favored (-140).

Meanwhile, the age of the workhorse running back is definitely winding down, with most teams utilizing at least two backs to touch the ball – running and receiving – over the course of a game. Because of that, backs consistently are not being picked as high anymore.

The Dallas Cowboys are the team that needs a running back the most after seeing DeMarco Murray leave for the Eagles as a free agent in the offseason following a breakthrough year in which he led the NFL in rushing with 1,845 yards.

Wisconsin running back Melvin Gordon (O/U 22.5), the NCAA’s leading rusher with 2,587 yards last season, and Georgia’s Todd Gurley (14.5) are the two best available.