NFL Futures: The Post-Draft Lines
Greg M. Cooper-US PRESSWIRE
The NFL held its annual draft of eligible players from the college ranks this past eek. Unlike in most years, the draft was thin on the quarterback and running back position. The first two picks were offensive linemen (Eric Fisher to the Kansas City Chiefs and Luke Joeckel to the Jacksonville Jaguars. While football is won on the line of scrimmage and therefore this draft could turn out to be an important one down the road, offensive linemen don’t do much to change betting lines.
Last season, we saw rookie quarterbacks such as Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III and Russell Wilson come in an make an immediate impact. Then later we saw Colin Kaepernick take over and lead his team to the Super Bowl. Had we had some talented early picks at quarterback, we may have seen some movement in the futures on next year’s Super Bowl and conference odds.
JustBet has the latest futures:
Denver Broncos +500– I just don’t know about the Broncos as the favorite. Peyton Manning is another year older. It’s hard to imagine he’ll be as good as last year, which apparently wasn’t good enough. One name that stands out among their draft picks is Montee Ball, running back from Wisconsin.
San Francisco 49ers +500- The Niners should be one of the favorites. They will have Kaepernick starting from the opening of training camp. That can only be a good thing. They got Eric Reid, a safety out of LSU for their first round pick. Another interesting one for down the road is Marcus Lattimore, running back from South Carolina.
New England Patriots +600– You hate to ever count Tom Brady out, but with no Wes Welker and a questionable Rob Gronkowski, it is hard to imagine them being one of the heavy favorites. Jamie Collins, their second round pick out of Southern Miss has the reputation of being a fierce pass rusher.
Seattle Seahawks +650– People in Seattle have to be counting the days down until football starts. Never have the Seahawks been this highly regarded in a preseason. With Russell Wilson going into his second year, the Super Bowl is a real possibility here. None of the draft picks jump out at you, but then again, they don’t need a lot of help.
Green Bay Packers +900– Aaron Rodgers might be the best quarterback in the NFL. The Packers are going to be right there once again. If not for replacement officials, the Pack would have been the only visiting team to win in Seattle. Nobody else was even close. That should tell you how good they are. Two picks that stick out are Eddie Lacy, running back from Alabama and Jonathan Franklin, running back from UCLA. The Pack with a running attack could be a dangerous team.
Houston Texans +1100- The Texans got what could be one of the biggest impact rookies in wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, a wide receiver from Clemson, in the first round. We also like D.J. Swearinger, a safety from South Carolina and Sam Montgomery, a defensive end from LSU.
Atlanta Falcons +1200- A team we like very much. Matt Ryan finally has his first playoff win. That should do wonders for his confidence. It may be with Tony Gonzalez playing his final year, the Falcons may have that “Ray Lewis-Ravens” thing going for them too. Kemal Ishmeal, a defensive back from UCF catches my attention, but that’s probably because he went to my alma mater.
