Jayden Daniels heavy favorite to be drafted No. 2 overall

Last updated: 2024/04/23 at 7:23 PM

BigP Published April 23, 2024

David Purdum, ESPN Staff WriterApr 23, 2024, 02:00 PM ET
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While Caleb Williams is the overwhelming favorite at sportsbooks to be the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft on Thursday, the betting public’s interest has been more focused on who will go No. 2.

Quarterback Jayden Daniels entered Tuesday as a -500 favorite to be the No. 2 overall pick at ESPN BET. It’s a significant shift from a week ago, when sportsbooks started seeing an increase in bets on Drake Maye to go No. 2. In just hours, last Thursday afternoon, Maye went from a +240 underdog to practically a co-favorite with Daniels to be the second pick at Fanatics Sportsbook. In February, Maye opened as the favorite to go No. 2, before being overtaken by Daniels in the betting market.

“The draft starts at two,” Joey Feazel, a trader for Caesars Sportsbook who helps oversee NFL draft odds, said Monday afternoon while watching bets on Daniels pop up on his computer. “It seems to be going Jayden’s way, but this isn’t the first time he’s been bet up.”

The odds to be the No. 2 pick were the most popular of any draft market at ESPN BET, and as of Monday at Caesars Sportsbook, “41 times” as much money had been bet on the odds to be the No. 2 pick compared to No. 1 pick market.

Volatile odds movements are typical on the draft and often driven by the pundits and league insiders. Sportsbooks say the majority of action on the draft comes from respected bettors. “It’s all sharps,” Feazel said.

The ESPN BET sportsbook is operated by Penn Entertainment.