How to Bet on the NFL Draft

The gap between the Super Bowl and the start of the NFL regular season feels like an eternity for football fans, but thankfully, the NFL Draft helps fill that void. It is perfectly situated between the few months of downtime, and starts on April 24, 2025, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. To set yourself up for the three-day event, we’ve put together this article for all you need to know about how to bet on the NFL Draft. 

🔎 Where is NFL Draft Betting Legal?

Right off the bat, it’s important to know where you can even enjoy NFL Draft betting. To make sure you’re aware of how to bet on the NFL Draft online and in person, we’ve compiled two different lists for you, beginning with the states available online:

• Arizona
• Colorado
• Connecticut
• Iowa
• Illinois
• Indiana
• Kansas
• Kentucky
• Louisiana
• Massachusetts
• Maine
• Maryland
• Michigan
• North Carolina
• New Jersey
• New Hampshire
• Nevada
• New York
• Ohio
• Oregon
• Pennsylvania
• Rhode Island
• Tennessee
• Virginia
• Vermont
• West Virginia
• Wyoming
• and Washington D.C.

As for where to bet on the NFL Draft from a retail-only perspective, there are a handful of those states as well:

• Delaware
• Mississippi
• Montana
• North Dakota
• Nebraska
• New Mexico
• South Dakota
• Washington
• Wisconsin

🏈 How to Bet on the NFL Draft

To lock in your best bets for the NFL Draft, you’ll certainly need to know how to bet on the NFL Draft. So, we’ve put together this list for you to help get started with NFL Draft betting:

1. Join an online sportsbook that is legal in your location
2. Navigate to the “Football” or “NFL” markets
3. Locate the options for futures markets
4. Choose the market for “NFL Draft”
5. Click on the odds of the selection you want to wager on
6. Enter your wager amount and click “Place Bet”

Those steps provide a great foundation for how to bet on the NFL Draft online, but of course, there may be some slight variance depending on the sportsbook you use.

🔓 Where to Bet on the NFL Draft Online

Now that you’ve seen where to bet on the NFL Draft in terms of states, let’s start diving into specific sportsbooks.

Millions of fans will be locking in their best bets for the NFL Draft at DraftKings Sportsbook, as they have become a titan of the sports betting industry. Not only that, but they provide a guaranteed boost for all new users to help you get started on the right foot. Bet $5, Get $150 in bonus bets - win or lose! There’s no doubt that DK is one of the best NFL Draft 2024 betting sites.

FanDuel Sportsbook is also considered the best online betting site for the NFL Draft by many fans, as they are always innovating. They were the original creators of the popular Same Game Parlay and the first to introduce competitive mobile games for real-cash prizes. Bet $5, Get $250 if your bet wins.

Another great option for NFL Draft betting is Caesars Sportsbook. They have an unmatched rewards system where you’ll earn credits for every wager you make, and that’s on top of a very generous welcome offer. bet $1 and get $150 if it wins. Such a lucrative start makes this arguably the best site to bet on the NFL Draft.

BetMGM Sportsbook is another operator that is among the best options for where to bet on the NFL Draft. Like Caesars, they also have a great rewards system and have been in the sports betting industry for decades. $1,500 in first-bet protection.

Lastly, fans looking to enjoy NFL Draft betting should take advantage of bet365 Sportsbook. Their intuitive user interface makes navigating the markets a breeze, and new customers can claim a unique welcome offer! Bet $5 and get $150 in bonus bets, whether your first bet wins or loses..

💸 How NFL Draft Betting Works

Thankfully, how to bet on the NFL Draft is very straightforward. There are multiple ways to attack the markets and enjoy the event, but the general premise is still simple. You’ll be wagering on where players will be selected, the positions of drafted players and “top” markets such as the top five and top 10.

🎯 Popular NFL Draft Betting Types

As mentioned, how to bet on the NFL Draft comes in multiple shapes and sizes. Different sportsbooks will offer their versions of specialty markets, but we’ve shared some of the most popular ones below.

First Overall Pick

Perhaps the most straightforward of NFL Draft bet types is simply predicting who will be the first player selected. Depending on the year, this can be a clear-cut consensus of who will be chosen or more up-in-the-air between a few players. For example, the 2025 NFL Draft has former Miami QB Cameron Ward as a clear favorite.

Which Team Will Draft Which Player

You can also enjoy NFL Draft betting by predicting who your favorite team or any other team will draft. A player will be listed with each team listed below alongside odds. This will primarily correlate to what number they will be drafted, but trades must be considered for this bet type.

First Pick by Position

Another popular way to bet on the NFL Draft is by predicting a pick by position rather than a specific player. For example, if multiple QBs are expected to be picked at a certain position, you can take this somewhat safer approach rather than needing it to be just one of those specific players.

🔮 NFL Draft Odds & Betting Lines Explained

Now that you know where to bet on the NFL Draft with the best NFL Draft 2024 betting sites and some popular bet types, let’s further explain other markets that you’ll see. You’ve likely noticed that individual games have an over/under line, and so does the NFL Draft.

Specifically, you can bet over or under a certain number for a given position. For example, bet over or under 4.5 QBs selected in the first round. If you’d rather not bet on the exact position of a player in terms of where they are selected, you can also predict whether or not they will be picked within the top five or 10 picks for a bit of a safer option.

As mentioned earlier, various specialty markets also become available as the event draws nearer, so be sure to join each of the best NFL Draft 2024 betting sites to take full advantage of each one.

🧐 How to Read NFL Draft Odds & Betting Lines

The odds and betting lines you’ll see for NFL Draft betting work just like ones that you’d see for an individual sporting event. However, rather than seeing something like Team A (+100) vs. Team B (-120), it will simply be Player Name (-200) or any other odds value. In other words, rather than a head-to-head matchup, each player is a standalone entity.

👌 Why Bet on the NFL Draft?

Betting on the NFL Draft is one of the most exciting times of the year, despite games not being in action. It is a way for franchises to build and can be a sign for years to come, and fans can be a part of it. Whether your team has a high pick after a rough season or is simply adding to a stacked roster, you can profit from either situation. It’s the perfect event to get fans excited for the upcoming season.

📈 NFL Draft Betting Trends

You will likely see many different trends as the 2025 NFL Draft approaches, even from the operators. No matter which you end up calling the best site to bet on the NFL Draft, they often provide betting information. While there is nuance throughout the event, the most notable trend is that QBs are the most important position. Of the last 27 NFL Drafts, 20 of the #1 picks have been a QB.

🤔 NFL Draft Betting Strategies

Regardless of which sportsbook you consider the best online betting site for the NFL Draft, you may want some strategies to help you with your picks. Depending on how seriously you want to get into NFL Draft betting, here are some things to consider.

1️⃣ Basic

If you consider yourself a casual fan, have fun and support your favorite team! Of course, don’t tune out anytime you hear beat reporters talking about your team and what direction they’re likely headed in, but even if you want to take a flier on who you wish they would take, just be smart with your bankroll and unit size.

2️⃣ Intermediate

Rather than simply not ignoring news and information, you can take it a step further and outwardly seek that information. For example, you could follow social media accounts of local beat writers that follow only specific teams or overall experts that are locked in the best sources in the business.

3️⃣ Advanced

To continue taking advantage of NFL Draft betting, start researching your own for what teams need in terms of positions. Furthermore, you can do even more digging as to what specific owners and general managers typically like to target. This way, you can get into a franchise’s mindset rather than being clouded by your own opinion of what a team should do.

❌ Things to Avoid When Betting on the NFL Draft

Speaking of not clouding your judgment, here are some things to consider to help you be successful with your best bets for the NFL Draft:

• Betting with your heart rather than your brain
• Not shopping around for the best odds
• Not setting a limit/bankroll management
• Chasing your losses

📱 Betting on the NFL Draft With Mobile Apps

The five sportsbooks we detailed for you are not only where to bet on the NFL Draft, but you’ll also be able to do so with their mobile apps. Each one provides a mobile sportsbook for both Apple and Android users, and we even mentioned FanDuel’s great innovation. So, be sure to take advantage of everything from how to bet on the NFL Draft online, which includes mobile apps.