We’ve all been waiting patiently — and the time has finally arrived. The NFL Draft begins Thursday evening in Las Vegas beginning a three-day event with more than 250 names being called by the league’s 32 teams.

The event goes along way in shaping NFL futures odds, considering a couple of contenders have multiple first-round picks and are looking for the piece to put them over the top (KC and Green Bay), while others are searching for a spark that could take them from worst-to-first.

 

The location, Las Vegas, is certainly a sign of the times (what were the odds of the NFL Draft being in Sin City five years ago?). Vegas is the sixth different major city to host the draft since 2015, when the league left its routine of Radio City Music Hall in New York City for Chicago.

Ironically enough, bettors in New York won’t be able to place bets on the draft. Certain states have restrictions on non-sporting events, and those states consider the draft to be one of those.

The good news is that a number of states that have legal sports betting DO have player and team props. If you’re in a state where sports betting is legal, here’s the status of whether you’ll be able to place bets on the draft over the next few days.

Where Can You Bet On the NFL Draft?

Here’s a list of states where bettors are legally allowed to wager on the NFL Draft:

  • Arizona
  • Louisiana
  • Illinois
  • New Hampshire
  • Indiana
  • Colorado
  • Tennessee
  • New Jersey
  • Michigan
  • West Virginia

NOTE: In Michigan you could only bet on the NFL Draft up until midnight on Wednesday; in West Virginia the cutoff was Wednesday at 8 p.m. In Las Vegas, sportsbooks are required to take down lines 24 hours prior to the start of the draft.

You can also bet on the NFL Draft in Ontario. New York, Iowa, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and Virginia are examples of states that do not allow betting on the NFL Draft, because those states do not consider it to be a sporting event — so similarly, bettors couldn’t wager on something like Academy Awards winners.

Just about every major sports betting app features NFL Draft player and team props. From which player will be the first overall pick to how many players from a certain conference will go in Round 1 — and even props as wild as which position Mr. Irrelevant, the final pick in the draft, will be — are available to bettors.

 

Best Bets For The NFL Draft

Here are a handful of NFL betting props that we’re interested in when the Jacksonville Jaguars go on the clock Thursday night at Caesars Forum:

Jameson Williams to Be Drafted in the Top-10

Odds: -125 on DraftKings

A torn ACL suffered in the College Football Playoff championship game hurt Williams’ stock, but he’s the most gifted receiver in this class. And with the direct impact rookies like Justin Jefferson and Ja’Marr Chase have had in recent years—and the fact that ACL tears are no longer career-defining injuries—we fully expect the Jets (Nos. 4 and 10) and Falcons (No. 8) to take a hard look at the Alabama field-stretcher. This line has shrunk over the last few weeks, indicating it’s likely to happen.

 

Packers First Selection to Be a DL/Edge Rusher

Odds: +450 on DraftKings

The Packers desperately need help at wide receiver. Trading away All-Pro Davante Adams and losing Marques Valdez-Scantling to free agency have left gaping holes at the position. The Packers will address wide receiver at some point, but they quietly also need help on the edge.

RELATED: Massive Early NFL Draft Odds Movement New Challenge for Bookmakers

Rashan Gary is a budding star, and Preston Smith had a bounce-back season. But losing Za’Darius Smith is a significant loss, and teams can never have too many rushers in this league. Also, the defensive line is pretty thin outside of Kenny Clark. This is a value play here, as the Packers could go EDGE at No. 22 and address wide receive at No. 29.

 

Derek Stingley Jr. Draft Position Over 7.5

Odds: +120 on Caesars

Arguably the best cornerback in college football his freshman season, Stingley has been relatively quiet since. That’s not to say he isn’t an elite talent — it just means he isn’t a slam dunk to go in the top-7 any longer. Cincinnati’s Sauce Gardner will likely be the first corner off the board, and with a few defensive and offensive linemen locks to go in the top-7, we’re running out of room on where Stingley fits in.

All teams in the top-7 need help in the secondary, we just think there are better talents ahead of him on most big boards. The fact that we can get plus odds makes this a solid move. Look for Stingley to go in the early teens.

 

Over 5.5 First-Round Trades

Odds: -115 on DraftKings

Let’s have some fun with this one. A record eight teams have multiple picks in the first round. Throw out historical trends here because there should be tons of moving around based on that. Given how many quarterbacks have late first-round grades, we expect that a handful of teams will try to move back into the first round to grab a quarterback that’s falling.

On top of that, both the Giants and Jets have multiple top-10 picks, and both could trade back to secure some much-needed draft capital. With so many picks already having been traded, expect tons of wheeling and dealing on Thursday night. Grab the over here.