Top 10 prop bets for the 2026 NFL Draft

20 April 2026

By Dan Ippolito

We are just three days away from the start of the NFL Draft in Pittsburgh and the Las Vegas Raiders will be on the clock first. It isn’t expected to be much of a surprise who they take with the No. 1 overall pick. Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza should be wearing the silver and black next season barring a trade. Just because the top pick is nearly a lock, doesn’t mean there are some great bets to be made over the three-day event, and here we highlight 10 for you to consider adding to your bet slip.

All odds provided by bet365 Sportsbook & Racebook

10. Position of Mr. Irrelevant
Let’s have some fun to start this out. It will keep you invested all the way through to the final pick on Saturday. If you don’t know, Mr. Irrelevant is the nickname for the player who is taken with the very last pick in the draft.

It really can be anyone’s best guess, and yes it is a guess because how can you truly have a strong prediction on who will be taken that late in the seventh round? If you can predict that, I would love for you to pick some Powerball numbers for me.

Out of the last six Mr. Irrelevant picks, five of them were on the defensive side of the ball, with the lone offensive pick being 49ers’ starting QB Brock Purdy. I am playing this in hopes the law of averages begins to swing this back close to 50/50 and am riding with an offensive player being the last pick in the draft.

Bet $140 to win $100 on Mr. Irrelevant being an offensive player

9. Bain taken before Delane
Rueben Bain Jr., the edge rusher from Miami, was an absolute menace a season ago for the Hurricanes. He lived in the backfield, tallying 9.5 sacks and 15.5 tackles for a loss. His speed at his size and strength is a major issue for offensive linemen and he is going to be a hot commodity come Thursday.

Bain could be a great fit in New Orleans, especially since the D-line for the Saints could use some reinforcing with the potential departure of veteran All-Pro Cam Jordan. Regardless, youth added to the pass rush will be a top priority for New Orleans, which holds the No. 8 pick and I just don’t see Mansoor Delane, the top corner from LSU, being taken ahead of that.

Bet $115 to win $100 on Bain drafted before Delane

8. Position of New England’s first pick
The Patriots made it to the Super Bowl last season and have to be thrilled with how Drake Maye has adapted in his first two NFL seasons. However, if you watched the Super Bowl, you know where the biggest issues sit for New England.

Maye was running for his life for most of that game and the pass protection and offensive line needs boosting or else Maye will not find himself upright too often next season.

That said, the books think NE is more likely to pick a defensive lineman or edge rusher (+105) but there will definitely be moves made to improve Maye’s protection and that starts this week in the draft.

Bet $100 to win $200 on an OL first pick from NE

7. Sonny Styles over 5.5
There is a good chance we see four Ohio State players taken in the top 10 of the draft. Styles will definitely be one of them and can really be the center of a defense.

However, he isn’t the best linebacker from that Ohio State team, as Arvell Reese is projected to go in the top three. And it seems the top three picks are almost locked, although the second and third pick could be flipped.

The fourth pick is very interesting, which I will discuss below, and I can see the Giants taking Ohio State lockdown corner Caleb Downs with the fifth pick. That would knock Styles out of the top five.

Bet $110 to win $100 on Styles taken outside of top five

"I can do just about anything on the field."@OhioStateFB LB Sonny Styles is ready to carry on his football family's legacy at the next level ??

2026 NFL Draft – April 23-25 on NFLN/ESPN/ABC
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/hz2gEGKNKV

— NFL (@NFL) April 7, 2026

6. Under 5.5 wide receivers in first round
They say it is a passing league and that is becoming more true with every passing season. Even still, wide receivers may not fly off the board like people think.

There is one easy choice for top 10 WR and that is Carnell Tate out of Ohio State. Jordyn Tyson from Arizona State is a possibility for a top 10 pick but outside of that, there shouldn’t be another pass catcher taken in the top 10 and even potentially the top 15.

There are many other needs that teams need to fill, especially on the defensive side of the ball so expect the first round to be defense heavy.

Bet $105 to win $100 on five or less WRs taken in first round

5. Position of Chicago’s first pick
Chicago will definitely focus on defense, especially in the first round. The Bears have their young QB to build around and a solid 1-2 punch of pass catchers.

However, they couldn’t stop the run at all this season. Chicago was in the bottom tier of run defense, giving up 134 yards on the ground per game. The interior of that defensive line needs some big help and that is where the first pick needs to be to help that issue this season.

Bet $130 to win $100 on a DL/edge first pick from CHI

4. Under 1.5 QBs in first round
It is all but done that Fernando Mendoza (-20000) will be the top pick in the draft. Outside of that, the QB draft class is one of the weaker ones in recent years. The next off the board should be Tyler Simpson from Alabama but not many are too high on him.

Look for other teams to be filling holes they have in their roster rather than picking up another QB that isn’t highly rated or sought after. Other players on the board are fit to make a more immediate impact than QBs that follow Mendoza, so their names will be called before we see that second QB’s name come off the board.

Bet $100 to win $100 on only one drafted QB in first round

3. Jeremiyah Love under 5.5
Earlier I mentioned the fourth pick being an interesting one. The Tennessee Titans hold that pick and they could see Jeremiyah Love as a promising pick.

Yes, I know we haven’t seen a top five running back drafted since Saquon Barkley in 2018 and Leonard Fournette in 2017, but the Notre Dame running back showed time and time again that he is a difference maker and can flip a game on its head in a few plays.

He is truly explosive and is always capable of breaking a big run for 20+ yards or even taking it all the way to the house. Love had 18 touchdowns on the ground and an impressive 6.9 yards per carry. I don’t see him going top three due to teams’ needs but Love could fit in well in Tennessee paired with Tony Pollard.

Bet $160 to win $100 on Love being take in the top five

2. Third-overall pick
The Arizona Cardinals will make the third pick in Thursday’s draft, barring a trade, and they will most likely be taking whichever outside linebacker isn’t picked by the New York Jets at No. 2.

Both David Bailey and Arvell Reese are choices that any team will be happy with. Bailey out of Texas Tech led FBS in pressure rate and tallied 14.5 sacks last season. He is a difference maker and will be a great fit for Arizona who struggled to get to the QB in 2025/2026.

Jets Fans on who they want at pick 2 - Arvell Reese or David Bailey.

Who would YOU rather the Jets draft ?! pic.twitter.com/17Mh6a6nAd

— ???????? ???????????? (@NYJets_Media) April 12, 2026

Bet $100 to win $150 on Bailey going third

1. Second-overall pick
Since I project Bailey going three, that tells us who I think is going at two. Why Reese over Bailey? Well, his versatility is a big plus that I think the Jets will prioritize. Reese is comfortable lining up on the edge or more in a linebacker role. Having the ability to do both is a large reason I think he brings more to the table than Bailey.

Bailey proved last year with Texas Tech the kind of player he is and will be, but I think there is more for Reese to develop in his skillset and become an even more terrifying player to block and keep away from the QB than he currently shows and the Jets aren’t blind to that.

Wager $130 to win $100 on Reese being picked second