Betting on the NFL draft is more complicated than betting on games

Eagles fans have been thinking about the 2022 NFL draft since Carson Wentz got traded last February. It didn’t take a draft genius like Mel Kiper to know Howie Roseman wasn’t going to keep them all.

The Eagles already traded away one of their picks, and there are no big-name quarterbacks in this year’s class. But don’t throw out those mock drafts. You can bet on the NFL draft, and sportsbooks already are starting to fill up with props. Wagering on the NFL draft, or any draft, is not permitted in Pennsylvania but is offered in New Jersey.

It’s more difficult for bookmakers to handicap the draft than a game on any given Sunday.

» READ MORE: Eagles draft primer: Where might the Birds find O-line replacements for Brandon Brooks, Jason Kelce?

“There are so many moving parts, the unknown trade, the proprietary injury information. It makes it tough,” said Eric Edholm, NFL draft writer at Yahoo Sports. “The draft is just a massive Tetris board. There is an art to it in knowing where players might end up and where they will certainly not end up.”

Edholm points to two players who have the most draft volatility.

Oregon defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux could get picked second or slide to nine.

“To me, it’s reasonable, but to a bookmaker, how do you put a number on that?” Edholm said.

At DraftKings, Thibodeaux is -1000 to be picked in the top 10. At FanDuel, his draft position prop is O/U 5.5 with the under priced at -250.

Liberty quarterback Malik Willis could land with the Detroit Lions, who have the second pick. But Edholm wouldn’t rule out a trade or the possibility that Willis might slide to the teens.

» READ MORE: Eagles draft primer: An early run of wide receivers could entice the Birds into taking another shot

“In a normal draft, a quarterback usually goes in the top five,” Edholm said. “In this draft, I don’t think we can say for sure, especially with a guy like Willis who may not be ready to play. He has a lot of volatility in where he might end up going.”

Edholm doesn’t think Roseman is done dealing first-round picks.

“There is a chance they might consider another deal,” he said. “They have done a lot of work on Kenny Pickett. What happens if some of those names like Kyle Hamilton float into that range or the right receiver?”

If the Eagles keep both picks, Edholm believes the first pick (No. 15) will be on a defensive player and No. 18 will be a wide receiver.

The odds at FanDuel on what position the Eagles will select with their first pick are:

Player-specific odds to be the Eagles first pick will be available soon.

The start of online sports betting in New York has not impacted New Jersey sportsbooks yet. When mobile wagering went live in NY in late January, many thought it would mean the end of New Jersey taking over $1 billion in bets a month. In March, New Jersey handled over $1.1 billion in wagers and sportsbooks won $66.4 million in revenue. Online sportsbooks FanDuel, PointsBet, and SuperBook led with $33.7 million in gross revenue.

Pennsylvania also reported March sports betting figures Monday. Sportsbooks took about $715 million in wagers for $48.5 million in revenue. FanDuel continued to rule in Pennsylvania as well, taking the top spot with $21.9 million in revenue.

Katie Kohler is the Managing Editor at Play Pennsylvania where she writes about sports betting and casinos.