2023 NFL Draft First Pick Odds: Bryce Young Retakes Lead on Stroud

Bryce Young or C.J. Stroud? C.J. Stroud or Bryce Young? As Carolina Panthers fans wait anxiously for the NFL Draft, the team’s front office is busy weighing which direction to go with the first overall pick. Carolina will surely be targeting a quarterback after paying a hefty price to acquire the pick — dealing the No. 9 and No. 61 overall picks in 2023, a first-round pick in 2024, a second-round pick in 2025 and star wide receiver D.J. Moore to the Chicago Bears, the only question is, which one? Let’s take a closer look at the 2023 NFL Draft first pick odds.

Young Back as Betting Favorite

While Young looked like the presumptive No. 1 pick at the start of the offseason, the 2021 Heisman Trophy winner fell considerably behind Stroud on the oddsboard following the March 10th blockbuster. In fact, Young’s odds shot as high as +350, while Stroud climbed atop the market at -275.

At that point, we were left to assume — at least by NFL Draft odds — that the Ohio State star was Carolina’s preferred choice. After all, you’d think the Panthers had a pretty good idea of who it was they wanted before they made the trade, right?

Whether they did or not, those 2023 NFL Draft first pick odds have shifted again. As of Monday, Young is back ahead of Stroud. The Alabama standout is now priced at -250 to go No. 1 overall, with Stroud listed at +180. The other projected top quarterbacks, Florida’s Anthony Richardson and Kentucky’s Will Levis, remain longshots at +2000 and +5000, respectively.

What does it mean moving forward? For what it’s worth, the timing coincides with a report by ESPN’s Chris Mortensen stating that Young “is the pick.” Mortensen did say the final decision hasn’t been made, though Young seems to have a lot of decision-makers on his side in the organization.

The only conclusions we can draw from that is either (A.), Carolina does indeed plan to select Young (B.), Carolina is bluffing and prefers Stroud or another quarterback – or (C.) Carolina still hasn’t made up its mind. Again, it still seems strange that both head coach Frank Reich and general manager Scott Fitterer would’ve gone through with the deal without a quarterback in mind.

Perhaps we will have a better idea in the coming days. Young was scheduled to visit the Panthers on Tuesday, representing another opportunity to make a positive impression ahead of the April 27th draft. Carolina is also expected to meet with Stroud, Richardson and Levis.

Should the 2023 NFL Draft first pick odds begin to lean even more heavily in Young’s favor, it won’t necessarily mean he’s the pick. But it will provide a clearer window into Carolina’s thinking — unless, of course, you’re certain this is all a big smokescreen. Generally, though, the dust settles days in advance.

At the moment, Stroud is favored at -150 to go No. 2 to the quarterback-needy Houston Texans. Young is next in line at +200, followed by Alabama edge rusher Will Anderson (+350). Texas Tech edge rusher Tyree Wilson, Levis and Richardson are all listed at +1800 or longer.

For NFL betting lines, news, analysis and more, visit pointspreads.com.

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