A fun prop bet tied to Washington's 1st-round pick originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
If you’re a Washington Football Team fan looking to add a little extra excitement to the opening night of the NFL Draft, hello. Nice to see you. You’re welcome here.
Now let’s talk.
The sportsbook PointsBet has loads of NFL Draft prop bets, and one of the more enticing ones has to do with the position of the player the Burgundy and Gold will select with their first pick on Thursday. Not which player, just their position.
And there’s some value to consider with a few of the spots.
If you think the offensive line is where Washington will go, you can get that group at +140. That means a $100 bet earns $140. Linebacker, meanwhile, is listed at +300. Fans of the squad know that those two parts of the depth chart are in need of strengthening, so there’s nothing wrong with taking the safe approach and going in one of those directions.
Should you want to get a little frisky, however, there are opportunities to get frisky. With how the draft tends to unfold, that is sometimes the best way to lean.
PointsBet lists Washington’s odds of grabbing a quarterback at +450, and with how many rumors have surrounded the club lately relating to signal callers, that’s certainly enticing. Yet keep on going just a little further down the board for two long shots that may not be so long.
Unless Christian Darrisaw slips more than most are forecasting, there won’t be many O-linemen worth Washington’s time at pick No. 19. Linebacker is a little different — Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah would certainly make sense if Micah Parsons doesn’t tumble, as would Zaven Collins — but Ron Rivera could also wait until Rounds 2 and 3 to bolster that part of the defense. The class is deep there, he told reporters earlier this month.
Then there’s QB. In all likelihood, if Washington really wants one, they’d have to trade up to get him. They may have to compete with others, too — like the Bears and the Patriots and the Broncos — to land one.
That’s why wide receiver (at +700) and safety (at +1100) are a pair of dart throws that feel like they have potential to hit the bullseye.
Names like Rashod Bateman, Kadarius Toney, Rondale Moore, Elijah Moore and Terrace Marshall are all back-half-of-the-first-round targets who should mostly be there if Rivera’s franchise stays where they are. Yes, wideout isn’t as pressing of a need as protection up front or assistance in the middle of the defense, but any one of those names might just be the best prospect available when Washington’s up.
As for safety, there’s only one guy who fits, but he could fit perfectly: Trevon Moehrig. The TCU DB has range that would make him an ideal partner for Kam Curl in the long term and he’d also give the organization flexibility to move on from Landon Collins after 2021. And an ESPN report published Wednesday explained that Washington likes Moehrig “a lot.”
Overall, there’s justification for any of the above prop bets. That said, for an event that often includes some unjustifiable outcomes, it’s sometimes wise to focus on those options.
Odds provided by our partner, PointsBet