On Saturday it is expected that with the No. 1 overall pick, Detroit will select Georgia QB Matthew Stafford. Lucky for Lions fans that Matt Millen is no longer GM, because he may have drafted wide receivers Michael Crabtree or Jeremy Maclin instead. Currently, Stafford is the favorite at 1/5 to be the #1 overall pick. Some other players in the hunt to go #1 overall are Baylor OT Jason Smith (3/1), Virginia OT Eugene Monroe (6/1) and Wake Forest Aaron Curry (10/1).
There are only supposed to be 2 or 3 running backs taken in the 1st round of the draft. With so many NFL running backs having a short NFL career, general managers don’t want to invest too early with this position. In fact, don't be surprised if 20 selections go by and no running backs are taken. It looks like Ohio State's Chris "Beanie" Wells will be the first RB selected Saturday. A couple other RB's that may go in the 1st round are Georgia's Knowshon Moreno, and UConn's Donald Brown. We have a prop on the "Number of Running Backs taken in Round One" and it is 2.5 Under -160.
If you root for a team that needs some pass catchers, then this year's draft should provide help. The frontrunner to be the first wideout selected is Texas Tech's Michael Crabtree. He would be a sure fire top 5 selection if he didn’t have below average speed. Another player that will be drafted right around when Crabtree figures to go is Missouri's Jeremy Maclin. While Maclin doesn’t have the pass catching ability that Crabtree has, he is a kickoff and punt return dynamo. You know Al Davis is drooling over Maclin's ability. For the prop "Which Player Will Get Drafted 1st" between Crabtree and Maclin, Crabtree is a -250 favorite.
We have "Draft Position" futures on a staggering 8 different players. You have the opportunity to choose exactly when these players will be selected. If you are a die hard college fan, and think you know your conferences talent pretty good, check out props like "Total SEC Players Drafted in the 1st Round" which we have set at 7.5 Under -200.
Now that the Wildcat formation is the in fold for some NFL teams comes this question: "Will Pat White be Drafted on Day 1 of the Draft (Rounds 1 and 2)?" We think he will as we have made the Yes -200.
Best of luck to your NFL team this weekend.