Looking at the early 2021 NFL Draft No. 1 pick odds

Who are the early favorites to go No. 1 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft?

While we will not know which team will even hold the first overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft for an extremely long time, odds are already available for which player could go number one. Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence has been the favorite to go first overall in this class for over a year and still stands out as the most logical selection.

Lawrence seemingly has it all at the quarterback position and undoubtedly has massive upside at the next level. He is the kind of guy who you can legitimately build a franchise around and do not be surprised if we see some teams looking to pseudo-tank for his services. However, as great as Lawrence is, we have an incredibly long time before the 2021 NFL Draft will take place and things can change quickly. I mean, who had Joe Burrow going No. 1 at this time last year?

The Bet Online Sportsbook has odds available for who will go first overall in the 2021 NFL Draft and unsurprisingly, Lawrence is the favorite. However, there are certainly some interesting names on this list.

2021 NFL Draft first overall pick odds

Trevor Lawrence, -300
Penei Sewell, +400
Justin Fields, +500
D’Eriq King, +2000
Kenneth Gainwell, +2500
Micah Parsons, +2500
Trey Lance, +2500

Bet Online has 28 total players listed, but the top three of Lawrence, Oregon offensive tackle Penei Sewell and Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields stand head and shoulders above the rest. That being said, as Burrow, Kyler Murray and Baker Mayfield have shown us in recent years, it is impossible to correctly predict the first overall pick a year out.

The inclusion of running back Kenneth Gainwell so high is interesting, to say the least. Gainwell is an exciting running back prospect who undoubtedly has massive upside as both a runner and receiver at the next level, but running back value is only going down. Seeing an NFL team take a running back No. 1 overall in this era seems completely impossible.

North Dakota State quarterback Trey Lance getting the same odds as Gainwell and Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons feels like a steal. Lance is an exciting quarterback prospect who was absolutely dominant in college last season. He has massive upside as both a passer and a runner and if he can have another dominant season in 2020, his 2021 NFL Draft stock could go through the roof. There is certainly a world where Lance enters the 2021 NFL Draft and goes No. 1.

Just a quick look at NFL Draft history shows us which direction these teams will likely go with the first overall pick. Quarterbacks have gone with the first overall pick in the last three drafts and five of the last six years. If we go back further, we see that quarterbacks have gone first overall in 17 of the last 23 years. We see an offensive tackle or edge rusher sprinkled in there every once in a while, but it is almost always a quarterback going No. 1.

Lawrence is obviously the clear favorite, but both Fields and Lance bring nice value when we consider how likely a quarterback is to be the pick. If it is not a quarterback at number one, Sewell is the only logical selection at this point in time. Sewell is a tremendous offensive line prospect who could easily be in the conversation if a team with a solid quarterback situation happens to pick No. 1.

These odds list will obviously drastically change throughout the season, but it is still fun to get an early look and think about some possibilities. Based on the current Bet Online odds, who would you be putting your money on? Let us know in the comments section below.