Big Ten 1st Round Draft Prop: Should You Bet Over or Under?

The Big Ten Conference had four of the nation’s top 11 teams and six of the top 18 in the final college football rankings for the 2019 season.

That depth of talent is expected to translate into a stream of conference players hearing their names selected at the 2020 NFL Draft. But how many of those names will be called in the first round of the draft is a matter of opinion — and NFL betting projection.

PointsBet has released odds putting the Over/Under on total number of first-round picks from the Big Ten Conference at 5.5 players.

Number of Big Ten Players Selected in the First Round

All odds are current as of publication and subject to change.

Bookies.com breaks down the prop and offers a pick.

Big Ten First-Round Locks

As many as nine players from Big Ten programs could go in the first round. But just three are locks to do so.

Ohio State pass rusher Chase Young in a top-three pick regardless of what mock draft you believe. If he doesn’t go No. 2 overall, it would be a surprise. Two other Big Ten guys are top-10 talents, as well. Ohio State’s Jeff Okudah is easily the top cornerback in the draft and Iowa’s Tristan Wirfs, a top-three offensive lineman who might be No. 1 on some team’s boards.

Additional First-Rounders Likely

The Big Ten has two other players who are close enough to earn near-lock distinction.

Penn State edge rusher Yetur Gross-Matos has been trending in the right direction in the past couple of months. The Seahawks, who own the No. 27 pick, reportedly really like him and are keen to take him if he’s still there.

A.J. Epenesa of Iowa is next on the list among edge rusher prospects. It’s not certain he will be drafted by pick No. 32, but some pundits say they believe the Tennessee Titans (No. 29) have circled his name as a guy they’d like to have if he’s still there.

Players On The Fringe

So far we have five likely first-rounders for this NFL futures betting prop. We need one more to hit the Over.

Edge rusher Zack Baun of Wisconsin has ascended up some draft boards but not on others. The same goes for Michigan’s Cesar Ruiz, the top center in the draft. But not many teams are pressing for a center. The Broncos might have the biggest need at that position but they’re likely to go elsewhere at No. 15.

Two more Ohio State players could be late first-round picks. Cornerback Damon Arnette and running back J.K. Dobbins could sneak into the top 32 picks but it would be a minor surprise.

Conclusion

The Big Ten will absolutely have at least four first-round picks in the NFL Draft. After that, however, it gets a little hairy.

Gross-Matos and Epenesa have inside tracks to be first-rounders but each is projected to go somewhere between No. 25 and No. 30. It wouldn’t be a shock to see at least one of them fall to an early second-round selection.

Baun is the wild card here, but there are too many other questions for projected first-rounders to back the Over. Take the Under on Big Ten first-round picks. Make your bet now at PointsBet.