Bryce Young the betting favourite for first pick in 2023 NFL Draft

First pick

The NFL draft will be held from April 27 to 29 in Kansas City. The Carolina Panthers have the first pick. Alabama quarterback Bryce Young is heavily favoured to be the first player off the board on NFL betting sites. He is a -1400 favourite on BetVictor. The Panthers have a 35-year-old Andy Dalton as their starting quarterback, so it should not be a surprise that a quarterback is favoured to be their pick. It would be shocking if the Panthers decided to pick a non-quarterback because of what the organization traded away to get the first pick.

Which quarterback the franchise will take is the question. While Young is currently the favourite, Ohio State QB C.J. Stroud (+800) and Kentucky QB Will Levis (+5000) have been mentioned as alternatives if the Panthers don’t pick Young. The Panthers General Manager is Scott Fitterer, former Seattle Seahawks scout and Vice President of Football Operations. Fitterer was with the Seahawks when they drafted Russell Wilson. Young, like Wilson, is considered small for the quarterback position. Wilson is listed at 5’11 on NFL.com, Young is listed at 5’10.

Top of the class 📈
Where does Will Anderson Jr. land come Draft day?

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Second pick

The Houston Texans have the second pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. Currently, quarterback Will Levis is favoured to come off the board second at -133 odds on BetVictor. Texas Tech outside linebacker Tyree Wilson has the second best odds at +150, Alabama linebacker Will Anderson Jr. has the third best odds at +350, and Stroud has the fourth best odds at +400. The Houston Texans look like they are in dire need of a quarterback.

If the franchise doesn’t believe Davis Mills is their quarterback of the future, the easiest way to replace Mills would be by drafting another quarterback. The quarterback position is the most important position in the NFL, but if the Texans aren’t in love with Levis or Stroud, they might not take a quarterback at all unless the Panthers pick Stroud with the first pick. Then, the Texans could go with Young. Young has +2000 odds to be picked second in the draft.

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Third pick

The Arizona Cardinals currently have the third pick. The Cardinals drafted Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray in the 2019 draft. However, C.J. Stroud is still favoured to be the third pick in this draft at +220. Realistically, the only way Stroud will be the third pick is if the Cardinals trade the pick or Murray. Considering the Cardinals recently re-signed Murray to a five-year $230.5 million contract, the latter probably isn’t happening.

Whether or not the Cardinals hold on to the pick will determine who gets selected here, and there are a lot of teams that could use a potential franchise quarterback. If the Cardinals keep the pick, Will Anderson Jr. (+275) or Tyree Wilson (+250) should be selected here. Anderson Jr. and Wilson are heavily favoured over the other non-quarterbacks, and a lot of expert mock drafts have one of them as the third pick.