2023 NFL Draft: Odds for the First Defensive Player Drafted

Texas Tech edge Tyree Wilson is the betting favorite to be the first defender drafted ahead of Alabama edge Will Anderson Jr.

Tyree Wilson recently surpassed Will Anderson Jr. as the odds-on favorite to be the first defensive player off the board in the 2023 NFL draft.

That steam is a result of shortening odds that Wilson, an edge rusher from Texas Tech, is selected second by the Texans or third by the Cardinals. Wilson has the second-best odds to go No. 2 to Houston (+250) behind Kentucky quarterback Will Levis (-133) and to go No. 3 to Arizona (+250) behind Ohio State signal-caller C.J. Stroud (+225). Anderson, an edge rusher out of Alabama, is the top-ranked player on SI’s big board. He has the third-best odds to go second (+333) and third (+275).

The draft odds favor Wilson to beat out Anderson at the moment, though Anderson has better odds than Wilson to go fourth, fifth and sixth should both prospects fall.

2023 NFL Draft:Odds for the First Defensive Player Drafted

Tyree Wilson -120
Will Anderson Jr. -105
Jalen Carter +1200
Christian Gonzalez +2000
Devon Witherspoon +2200
Nolan Smith +5000

Odds via SI Sportsbook

Michael C. Johnson/USA Today Sports

Just last week, Anderson could be found at -200 to be the first defender drafted, while Wilson was available at +163. In a recent SI mock draft, Anderson is selected fourth by Arizona in a trade back with the Colts, while Wilson comes off the board sixth to the Lions.

Albert Breer had this to say of the Texans’ potential decision between two of the top defensive prospects in the class: “Anderson fits in that he has Alabama ties to [coach DeMeco] Ryans, and in that GM Nick Caserio has a couple decades of experience plucking from Nick Saban’s programs. On the flip side, Wilson might be a better scheme fit for Ryans, with a higher ceiling.”

The potential for trades in the top four — or lack thereof — could complicate things.

After Alabama quarterback Bryce Young, who’s a massive favorite to go first to the Panthers, everything is on the table. The Texans could trade back, take the top defender on their board or shock everyone and take a signal-caller. The Cardinals at No. 3 are also a candidate to trade back, though they could go with the best available defender if no deal materializes. The Colts seem to be a likely quarterback landing spot with the No. 4 pick and they’re among the teams that could strike a deal with Arizona to move up and address their situation under center.

Then there’s the unlikely but not entirely impossible scenario where the top four quarterbacks in the class — Young, Stroud, Levis and Florida’s Anthony Richardson — are selected, in some order, with the first four picks. Granted, that’s never happened before, but in that situation the Seahawks at No. 5 would have their choice of Anderson, who’s currently the betting favorite to go fifth (+225), or Wilson (+240).

There are quite a few inflection points at the top of the draft as far as the top defensive draft prospects are concerned, but it starts with the Texans at No. 2. And right now, it seems to be between Wilson and Anderson with the betting odds giving the Red Raider the edge over the former Crimson Tide standout.

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