We’re a day away from the crown jewel of football’s offseason, and we’re busily cramming in as many NFL Draft props as possible ahead before Thursday night’s festivities in Nashville.
Here is the rest of our recent NFL draft props coverage:
- On Tuesday, we looked at the draft position lines for Kyler Murray, Ed Oliver, and Dwayne Haskins
- On Monday we analyzed where Marquise Brown may land in Round 1
Today, something a little different as we examine the draft from the point of view of the NCAA National Champions, as well as diving into the draft position of one of the top offensive tackle prospects, Jawaan Taylor.
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Total Number of Clemson Players Drafted in the First Round
Over 2.5 (+125, +108, to -180)
The price for this varies wildly, from +125 at the DraftKings sportsbook, to +108 at FanDuel, all the way down to -180 at some places.
If you shop around, you’re likely to find some other prices in between.
There are three Clemson players with an excellent shot at hearing their names called on Thursday night — Christian Wilkins, Clelin Ferrell, and Dexter Lawrence.
I went through the mock drafts of guys who’ve either been historically accurate mock drafters, are plugged in, or both. They are — Evan Silva, Daniel Jeremiah, Peter King, Mike Florio, and Charlie Campbell of Walter Football.
- Four of the five mockers had the Clemson trio going in the first round
- The lone exception was Walter Football, which had just 2/3, with Dexter Lawrence falling to the Packers at 44th overall
Lawrence is the wildcard here. Daniel Jeremiah had him just making the cut, going 32nd overall to the Patriots. However, his range of outcomes is quite wide — Silva has him going 26th to the Colts, as did Florio, while King pegged him at 14th to the Falcons.
The 6-foot-4, 342-pound Lawrence has the build and skills of a first rounder, but his numbers were down in 2018, taking some of the shine off. Scouts have mentioned him in the same breath as potential top-five pick Jonathan Allen in terms of the most disruptive defensive lineman in the draft, and I think his chances of going in the first are a coin flip at worst.
He is the kind of player that typically does not slide far.
A price of -180 may be a stretch, but I’d probably still play it if it’s your only option.
Jawaan Taylor Selected 7th or Earlier
The Pick: Yes (-120)
I love this prop, and I’m not sure why we’re getting such a great price on it. Four of the five mockers I mentioned peg Taylor to go to Jacksonville at No. 7, as do so many other mock drafts. The lone exception was Peter King, who has the Jaguars taking top TE prospect T.J. Hockenson, and Taylor going to the Lions with the next pick.
Perhaps the only thing harder to find than an elite quarterback is an elite tackle, and Taylor is widely considered the best in the class.
Jacksonville had no less than two scheduled meetings with Taylor over the past few months, and this pick seems like one of the few thing analysts can agree on things in an uncertain top 10.
If nothing else, he certainly seems to fit the Tom Coughlin mold.
Tom Coughlin on Jawaan Taylor: “He’s got a nasty streak in him.” #Jaguars
— Daniel Popper (@danielrpopper) April 22, 2019
If Ed Oliver slips past the sixth pick, I could see the Jaguars changing plans, but otherwise, Taylor fits the bill perfectly.
