The NFL Combine can change a lot of things for a player.
A good showing in can improve one’s draft stock significantly. A bad showing can hurt, significantly. Or, it can confirm what was already expected.
Sometimes it’s not even what happens during the drills/on the field that can have a positive or negative effect.
This past week at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, we saw it all.
How did what happened at the 2023 NFL Combine affect the odds for the potential No. 1 overall pick? FrontPageBets takes a look.
(All odds courtesy of DraftKings and are subject to change)
Alabama quarterback Bryce Young (-200)
For Alabama quarterback Bryce Young, projected by many to be the top overall pick, his draft status didn't seem to change, despite his measurements, or lack thereof.
Young, who was listed on the Alabama roster as a 6-foot, 194-pound player, lost more than an inch, but gained 10 pounds. His official measurements at the Combine put him at 5-foot-10 1/8 and 204 pounds.
Young did not participate in any drills in Indianapolis, instead opting to perform at Alabama’s Pro Day on March 23.
Still, that didn’t seem to scare off the oddsmakers, as Young is still at the top of the boards to go first at -200 odds.
Young, who won the Heisman Trophy in 2021 as a redshirt freshman, has been compared to Kyler Murray (5-10), who was drafted No. 1 by the Arizona Cardinals in 2019, and Russell Wilson (5-11), who the Seattle Seahawks took in the third round in 2012. Wilson, remember, led Seattle to its only Super Bowl title.
Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson (+300)
No one’s potential draft stock soared higher at the Combine than that of Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson.
Richardson, 6-4, 244 pounds, put on a show in Indianapolis, running a 4.43-second 40-yard dash, elevating 40½ inches in his vertical jump and leaping 10 feet, 9 inches in the broad jump. Those numbers not only turned heads, but broke records.
Richardson’s vertical jump was the best of any quarterback ever at the Combine, while his broad jump was the best by any in his position since 2003. And his 40 time was the fourth-fastest by a quarterback in 20 years.
Two weeks ago, Richardson, who only started one year at Florida, wasn’t even on the radar to be the top overall pick, sitting somewhere above 25-1 odds, Now, he’s second on the DraftKings odds board at +300.
This past season in Gainesville, Richardson threw for 2,549 yards and 17 touchdowns. He also tossed nine interceptions and completed 53.8% of his passes. He ran for 654 yards and nine touchdowns.
Georgia defensive lineman Jalen Carter (+5000)
Jalen Carter, a 6-3, 310-pound defensive tackle from Georgia, headed to the NFL Combine as at least a top-five pick. He left under a cloud of scrutiny and questions after being charged last week with reckless driving and racing in connection to a January crash that killed a UGA teammate and staff member.
Carter was just about to speak to the media when news of the misdemeanor chargers broke and he left to turn himself in to authorities in Athens, Ga. Carter then issued a statement saying that he will be “fully exonerated of any criminal wrongdoing.”
Two weeks ago, Carter was +750 odds to be taken No. 1 in April’s draft. Now, he’s +5000 (50-1). Some mock drafts have him falling out of the top 10 or 15, but still being a first-round pick, depending on what happens with his legal matters.
Odds-on favorites to be the No. 1 overall pick in 2023 NFL Draft
Bryce Young, QB, Alabama -200
Anthony Richardson, QB, Florida +300
C.J. Stroud, QB, Ohio State +450
Will Anderson, OLB, Alabama +1200
Will Levis, QB, Kentucky +1500
Jalen Carter, DL, Georgia +5000
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