Fans of the Cincinnati Bengals might have to wait a bit to find out who will be the team’s first-round draft pick this year. While Round 1 is slated to begin Thursday evening, the Bengals are not going to pick until No. 28.
Barring a trade up, it will be late Thursday night before the Bengals make their first pick. Fortunately, the betting market helps give us an idea of what to expect ahead of the 2023 NFL Draft.
At FanDuel Sportsbook, there is a market for which position will be the first drafted player for all 32 teams. For the Bengals, cornerback and tight end are both the betting favorites at +200. The defensive line position group, which includes an edge rusher, is priced at +350. Offensive line comes in at +400.
All other positions are deemed unlikely for the Bengals at No. 28. Running back is listed at +1000, wide receiver comes in at +2000, linebacker is priced at +4000, and safety is valued at +4000. Unsurprisingly, Cincinnati is +15000 to select a quarterback with Joe Burrow already under center.
While that should give fans an idea of what to expect, the betting market also helps identify which players might be available. You just have to look at other markets, including which player will be drafted first at each position.
At tight end, Notre Dame’s Michael Mayer is the favorite to be drafted first with a price of -210 at FanDuel. Utah’s Dalton Kincaid (+150) appears to be the only challenger for that title, meaning the Bengals are likely to draft one of those two players if they go the TE route.
Devon Witherspoon is -200 to be the first cornerback selected in the 2023 NFL Draft, so he seems to be out of contention for Cincinnati at No. 28. Keep an eye on if Christian Gonzalez (+150) or Joey Porter Jr. (+3000) end up falling in Round 1.
According to FanDuel’s odds, the Bengals are contenders to consider running backs Jahmyr Gibbs and Bijan Robinson. Cincinnati is tied for second in odds for which team will draft Gibbs at +1000. The Bengals are +2500 to take Robinson in this year’s draft.
The 2023 NFL Draft is slated to take place over three days from Thursday through Saturday at Union Station in Kansas City, Missouri. Round 1 will be held on Thursday, with Round 2 and Round 3 scheduled to follow on Friday. It will all conclude with the final three rounds on Saturday.
