Malik Nabers vs. Rome Odunze: Who Should NFL Teams & Bettors Target in Round 1?

Several wide receivers are expected to hear their names called during the first round of the NFL draft on Thursday, and we're looking at the 2024 NFL Draft odds from our best NFL betting sites as they pertain to Malik Nabers vs. Rome Odunze in Round 1.

For over a year, Ohio State's Marvin Harrison Jr. has been expected to be the first wide receiver selected in the 2024 NFL Draft. With the draft slated for April 25 to 27 in Detroit, Mich., little has changed in the lead up to the first round on Thursday night, with Harrison as short as -2400 by the NFL draft odds to be the first WR off the board.

When the first round of the NFL draft officially starts at 8 p.m. ET (ABC, ESPN, NFL Network), all signs point to Harrison going top five. The expectation ahead of the draft is that he'll be selected by the Arizona Cardinals and will make an instant impact as an NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year odds favorite.

Yet, for as dominant as Harrison is projected to be, both LSU's Malik Nabers and Washington's Rome Odunze are the reason this is viewed as one of the top WR classes in recent memory. Both are expected to be top 10 selections across our best sports betting sites, and many think Nabers will go before Odunze. But the NFL draft is unpredictable.

When we asked ChatGPT to make a 2024 NFL mock draft, it had Odunze go before Nabers, and there's been recent buzz that this could happen. We look at the Nabers vs. Odunze debate and more wide receiver odds, including a sleeper first-round pick we highlighted in our NFL draft predictions.

2024 NFL Draft odds: Second wide receiver selected

The debate: Nabers vs. Odunze

Clearly Nabers is the overwhelming favorite to be the second wide receiver off the board on Thursday night, and his odds make this a strange market to bet into. With his longest odds being -340, there's a 77.27% implied probability that the LSU star will be the second receiver selected after Harrison, according to our odds calculator. And while we do expect Nabers to go before Odunze, it's odd that he's such an overwhelming favorite in a market that's based on very little tangible evidence.

By all accounts, Nabers and Odunze would both be viewed as the WR1 in the vast majority of draft classes and the two top draftniks in the industry are split on them as WR2. While the Athletic's Dane Brugler has Nabers slotted behind Harrison, NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah, arguably the most well-connected draftnik out there, has Odunze as his WR2.

That's what makes it so curious that Nabers is such a heavy favorite to go before Odunze, especially when factoring in that the latter is a more classic outside X-receiver at 6-foot-3, 212 pounds while Nabers is more in the Z/slot mold at 6-foot, 199 pounds.

Ultimately, we believe Nabers will go ahead of Odunze, but the odds are too short at this point to justify betting into the market. The quarterbacks and offensive linemen also throw a wrench into this with WR-needy teams like the Los Angeles Chargers, New York Giants, and Chicago Bears all potentially going elsewhere early given the depth of this wide receiver group. The depth is what makes this class exciting for NFL fans across the country.

Best odds: Nabers second WR selected -340 via DraftKings

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Over/Under wide receivers selected in the first round

The fact that the Over/Under for wide receiver selected in the first round is 6.5 is jaw-dropping, especially when there's an argument to bet the Over. Only once during the common draft era (1967), have more than 6.5 wide receivers been selected in the first round. The 2004 NFL Draft had seven WRs drafted in the first round with Larry Fitzgerald, Roy Williams, and Reggie Williams each going in the first 10 picks.

Much like in 2004, three WRs are projected to go in the top 10 with Harrison, Nabers, and Odunze. If that happens, there's a real shot for this class to get up to seven in the first round, especially with several Super Bowl odds contenders being in need of wide receiver help.

While the shortest odds from our best sportsbooks, +225 via FanDuel, imply only a 30.77% probability of the Over hitting, this draft has been praised for its wide receiver talent and mocked for how few defenders are worthy of a first-round pick. Teams picking outside of the top 10 who have been linked to wide receivers include the Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, Pittsburgh Steelers, Buffalo Bills, San Francisco 49ers (if Brandon Aiyuk is traded), and Kansas City Chiefs. The Atlanta Falcons could also be in the mix should the write option fall, or they trade back in the first round.

It's a stretch to think all of them will be selecting a wide receiver, but this prop only needs four of them to do so, and there's always a few surprise teams that opt to go receiver. What actually works against this class is the overall depth of the position with some teams potentially choosing to wait until the second and third rounds to nab a pass catcher.

However, nobody doubts that there are at least seven receivers with the potential to go on Thursday night. In Jeremiah's final rankings, he had seven wide receivers in his top 32 and 11 in his top 50. 

Best odds: Over 6.5 +290 via Caesars 

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First round wide receiver odds

Our best sportsbooks aren't listing odds on Harrison, Nabers, Odunze, or Brian Thomas Jr. to be picked in the first round with it already a foregone conclusion that they'll each hear their names called Thursday. But what's interesting about this market is how confident they are that the Texas duo of Xavier Worthy and Adonai Mitchell will also go in the first round. 

While Worthy did break the 40-yard dash record with his 4.21, he's been a polarizing prospect throughout the pre-draft process. But with the Bills and Chiefs picking at the end of the first round, many expect Worthy to bring his game-breaking speed to those contenders. Mitchell on the other hand has been tabbed as having the talent to go in the first round despite inconsistent collegiate production.  

With Worthy's -900 odds, there's a 90% probability he goes in the first round, and Mitchell's -550 odds give him an 84.62% chance to join his fellow Longhorn. That gives us six receivers who the sportsbooks overwhelmingly believe will go in the first round.  

Another name to watch is Georgia's Ladd McConkey, who is known as a top route runner in the class and put together strong testing numbers at the NFL Combine and his pro day. He's ranked No. 30 for Jeremiah and No. 31 for Brugler, which puts him right in the Chiefs range if the other top receivers are off the board.

The wildcards are South Carolina's Xavier Legette and Florida State's Keon Coleman. Both have been pegged as potential surprise first-round picks by NFL insider Tom Pelissero. Those two, along with McConkey, offer the most interesting odds among this group.

Best odds: Ladd McConkey +125 via FanDuel

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