Who Will Be the First RB Picked in the 2021 NFL Draft?

This year’s 2021 NFL Draft is a little more than a month away with the opening round set for Thursday, April 29. Over the past few years, this has turned into the biggest betting event during the NFL offseason. Speculation over picks made in the first round are backed up by dozens of prop bet opportunities.

Best Bookies for Betting the NFL Draft

The most popular betting props at online sportsbooks tend to focus on quarterbacks, wide receivers and running backs as high-profile skill positions.

2021 NFL Draft Props: First RB Picked

When it comes to the top running backs in this year’s draft class, three different players top the list. The early odds posted for this NFL player props bet include:

Najee Harris -150

Harris appears to be the consensus choice among all the top NFL draft gurus as the top running back on the board. He played his college football at Alabama so he is already a high-profile player. At 6-foot-2 and 230 lbs., he has the prototypical size to be successful at the next level.

As an added plus, he also has exceptional speed for a player his size. The most interesting stat on his scouting report is breaking 22 tackles for yards after the catch. Most NFL teams would love to have a back that can pound up the middle while also catching the ball out of the backfield.

Last season for the Tide, Harris carried the ball 251 times for 1,466 total rushing yards. That works out to 5.8 yards a carry. He also found the end zone on the ground 26 times.

Most NFL teams tend to shy away from using a first round pick on a running back. They usually look for steals starting in the second round to fill that need. However, Harris could easily come off the board late in the opening round. One team mentioned as a possible landing spot was the New York Jets.

There is some added risk in his -150 odds, but if you are betting this prop, you should probably go chalk.

Live NFL Betting Lines

Travis Etienne +130

This is another back coming from a high-profile team after playing his college career for Clemson. He is a bit on the smaller side at 5-foot-10, 205 lbs. However, he brings an impressive skill set to the running back position. Most experts would agree that Etienne is the best pass- catching running back in this year’s draft class.

This back also grades high on speed with 40’s as low as 4.4 seconds. Speed often boosts a player’s draft position higher than it should be. Yet, it is still hard to see Etienne coming off the board ahead of Harris.

While the +130 odds are attractive, the gap between the top two players remains rather wide.

Expert NFL Picks (Money Line, ATS and Totals)

Javonte Williams +500

As the longshot of the trio, Williams will probably end up as one of the later- round steals that every NFL head coach or GM dreams about. He actually grades-out higher than Harris and Etienne on a few early draft boards.

Yet, playing for North Carolina is not as nearly sexy as playing for one of the top two programs in the nation. At 5-foot-10, 220 lbs., he definitely fits the mold of a NFL running back. His biggest attribute is explosive speed and that has a tendency to catch a team’s eye.

Once again, it is hard to see any of the 32 teams stepping up to take Williams within the first 32 picks of the draft but he still belongs in the discussion.