NFL Draft Betting: Kentucky Quarterback Will Levis Rising Fast on Draft Boards

Where Will Quarterbacks Will Levis, C.J. Stroud and Anthony Richardson Land on Draft Night?

April 26, 2023 294 4 minutes readNFL Picks & Parlays

NFL Draft Betting: Kentucky Quarterback Will Levis Rising Fast on the Draft Boards — KEVIN C. COX / GETTY IMAGES

Texas Tech Tyree Wilson, Georgia’s Jalen Carter Possible Top Five Picks

We are on the eve of the start of the 2023 NFL Draft and the only thing that is known for certain is that nothing is known for certain.

With no Trevor Lawrence or Joe Burrow at the top of the draft, that has led to all sorts of movement, and even though Alabama quarterback Bryce Young has been the heavy favorite to land in Carolina with the No. 1 pick, that hasn’t stopped the rumor mill from wreaking havoc on the betting lines.

Other than the Indianapolis Colts almost certainly grabbing a quarterback after Carolina does the same, there is little consensus on what will happen with some of the other priority picks.

What transpires with the No. 2 and 3 picks will impact how the rest of the top 10 plays out on Thursday night.

Levis, A Popular Guy

Apparently hitting the ceiling during pro days is a thing these days.

Will Levis, a former quarterback at Kentucky, and ex-Florida QB Anthony Richardson both did that, and somehow that improved their stock even though hitting structures inside stadiums doesn’t figure to be of much help once their pro careers get started.

A Reddit post by a person who certainly wouldn’t be classified as an NFL draft insider suggesting that Levis is going first overall sent those setting the 2023 NFL Draft odds into a tizzy.

Young is still the front-runner at -1000 to be the top pick. However, Levis went from +5000 to +450 to be the No. 1 selection according to the NFL Draft odds.

There was a time when Chicago Bears held the No. 1 pick and being nestled in the heart of Big Ten country would give the Bears plenty of opportunities to check in on Stroud.

Now Levis is priced at -280 to be picked ahead of Stroud.

The biggest question with Levis is whether the strong-armed quarterback will resemble NFL scouting combine and pro days rather than what they accomplished on the football field.

Angling For a Trade Down?

This is the time of the season when it is wise to ignore any rumors flying around. Teams love to float misinformation and much of that has to do with the hope that a desperate team will give away draft capital to get the player they wanted. Perhaps that is what Houston is trying to do with the No. 2 pick.

Will the Indianapolis Colts take the bait and send a second-day pick to Houston to move up from No. 4 to No. 2?

Arizona’s No. 3 pick is said to be on the market since the Cardinals won’t be grabbing a quarterback with Kyler Murray the No. 1 guy in Arizona.

When looking at the NFL player stats, Houston ranked 31st out of 32 teams in ing efficiency during the 2022 season. The only team below them are the New York Jets and the Jets took care of that by trading for four-time NFL Most Valuable Player Aaron Rodgers. Davis Mills had a strong rookie season, but he regressed in 2022 so there should be a temptation to take a QB at either No. 2 or No. 12 for the Texans.

Five of the top 10 picks have already changed hands.

Carolina and Chicago flipped the No. 1 and 9 picks in a huge trade last month. Trades involving veteran quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Matthew Stafford resulted in Seattle getting the fifth pick and the No. 6 selection landing in Detroit. A 2022 trade resulted in New Orleans sending its first-round pick (No. 10 overall) to reigning NFC champion Philadelphia.

Could more moves among the top 10 picks be coming? Stay tuned for what could be a wild first night in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Moving On Up

Levis is far from being the only player trending in the right direction.

It wasn’t too long ago that there were reports that teams were targeting Arizona’s No. 3 overall pick in order to grab the top offensive lineman.

Those reports did not immediately change the odds of the top protectors. However, Ohio State offensive tackle Paris Johnson has soared to the top when it comes to the odds to be the No. 3 selection.

Johnson is priced at +250 according to the NFL Draft betting lines and he is followed by Stroud (+275), Alabama edge rusher Will Anderson (+350), and Texas Tech defensive end Tyree Wilson (+350).

Speaking of Wilson, he is now the top choice at +125 to be the pick at No. 2. That is right in line with the rumblings that the Texans won’t be picking a quarterback second overall.

The Seattle Seahawks, no strangers to picking players with red flags off the field, have the fifth pick and Georgia defensive lineman Jalen Carter has even odds to be that selection. Carter’s draft stock has been a point of discussion for quite some time after his involvement in a crash that claimed the lives of his former college teammate Devin Willock and Chandler LeCroy, a recruiting analyst for the Bulldogs.

Seventh Heaven

Not all the suspense will end after the top five picks.

There are seven players with odds between +275-+950 to go to the Raiders with the seventh pick.

Johnson and Oregon cornerback Christian Gonzalez are the current front-runners at +275.

For all the chatter about the Raiders going with a quarterback even with the g of former 49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo, Stroud is fifth, Levis sixth, and Richardson seventh in the odds to be the seventh overall selection.

Can’t get enough? Here’s more!

April 26, 2023

294 4 minutes read