2023 NFL Draft odds: Will Levis passes CJ Stroud as favorite for No. 2 overall pick; will Texans keep the selection?
There's a new betting favorite to be the No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
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All the scuttlebutt over the Carolina Panthers moving up from No. 9 overall to No. 1 overall in a trade with Chicago last month was that the Panthers were planning to take Ohio State quarterback CJ Stroud atop the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft on April 27 in Kansas City. However, Alabama QB Bryce Young is now the -1200 leader at Caesars Sportsbook to go first, and Stroud could be sliding down the board -- he's no longer even the favorite to go No. 2 to Houston (or whichever team picks there).
"Are we open for business? We're open to listening," Texans general manager Nick Caserio told reporters on Monday, saying he's received calls for the No. 2 pick. Caserio also wouldn't eliminate the possibility that the Texans might not draft a quarterback at No. 2: 'We won't eliminate anything. We just try to make good decisions."
Kentucky quarterback Will Levis is the new +180 favorite to be the second pick with Stroud next at +250, followed by pass-rushers Tyree Wilson of Texas Tech and Will Anderson of Alabama each at +350. The Texans look could look for defense at No. 2 for defense-first new head coach DeMeco Ryans and then grab a quarterback at No. 12, part of the package received from Cleveland in the Deshaun Watson trade.
The Athletic's Dane Brugler reported Monday "there isn't a unanimous belief among the Houston coaches that available quarterback will be worthy of this pick." Peter King wrote Monday in Football Morning in America that it wouldn't be a surprise if Wilson is picked ahead of Anderson, and that Houston could be the team that takes Wilson. ESPN's Matt Miller wrote that Anderson is the team's top-ranked overall prospect. Anderson has an over/under draft position of 3.5 with the over a -150 favorite.
ESPN's Adam Schefter said Monday he believes it's possible only one quarterback will be selected in the top three picks. Young has canceled his remaining pre-draft visits, which seems to hint that the 2021 Heisman Trophy winner will be the Panthers' pick at No. 1 overall.
DraftKings has Stroud as the -135 favorite to be the second quarterback selected, with Levis at +140. Levis has an O/U draft position of 6.5. The CBS Sports Big Board ranks Levis as the No. 5 overall prospect.
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