Tua Tagovailoa is Vegas’ favorite to be No. 1 overall pick
By Bryan Perez
The betting lines for who will be the first overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft are live, and there’s a surprise name in the top three.
While NFL draft fans prefer gathering draft-related intel from respected and trusted analysts like Mel Kiper, Jr. and Daniel Jeremiah, there’s an even better resource that can offer insight on the landscape of any particular draft class: Las Vegas.
Yes, Sin City is rarely wrong, so when the Vegas insiders offer betting lines on something, you better pay close attention.
The odds for who will be the No. 1 overall pick in 2020 are out, and while it is way too early in the process to make any kind of prediction like this, the betting lines help clarify the national narrative heading into the 2019 college football season.
The player with the best odds at being the first pick is Alabama QB Tua Tagovailoa (-220). It’s not all that surprising, quite frankly. The ‘Tank for Tua’ initiative — while tongue-in-cheek — has been a ‘thing’ for a while now and he’s the clear QB1 entering the fall.
Tua’s top competition for the No. 1 pick is Oregon’s Justin Herbert (4:1). The odds match the summer scouting analysis; it’s Tua vs. Herbert at the top of the quarterback rankings, and whoever comes out on top will more than likely be the first pick.
The first big surprise comes with the player who has the third-best odds for the No. 1 pick: Georgia QB, Jake Fromm.
From is a 5-to-1 bet to be the No. 1 pick; don’t waste your money. This one’s dead wrong. Barring a miraculous uptick in arm strength, Fromm isn’t a lock as a first-round pick. He profiles more as a second-day prospect.
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The first defensive prospect to make an appearance is Ohio State’s Chase Young. The talented pass-rusher has 20:1 odds at being the first overall pick, and that feels about right. In a class with two quarterbacks who possess top-pick talent, it will take a monster season from Young to leapfrog them. He has the kind of upside to be a top-five pick in this draft class, but making the jump to first overall will be really, really difficult.