2023 NFL Draft wide receiver odds: Jaxon Smith-Njigba overwhelming favorite, but can someone cash in?

April 25, 2023 ndowd

Wide receivers are becoming a premium position in the NFL, evident with the last two NFL Draft’s that featured three wide receivers selected inside the top 10 picks.

This year is a little bit different though, as it appears a wide receiver won’t be picked inside the top 10, but that doesn’t stop the betting market from making Jaxon Smith-Njigba being the overwhelming favorite to be the first wide out off the board at consensus sportsbooks.

JSN is an intriguing case, who burst on the scene two seasons ago alongside Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave at Ohio State, but he hardly saw the field this past season after suffering a hamstring injury in Week 1 against Notre Dame.

However, the skill set is tantalizing as Smith-Njigba is fully healthy ahead of the NFL Draft.

The further down the board we go, the more variance you are likely to see on team’s draft boards. Could a team have Boston College’s Zay Flowers rated higher? What about 2021 Biletnikoff Award winner Jordan Addison?

While it appears that Smith-Njigba’s range reportedly starts the highest at No. 12 with the Houston Texans, and he has been linked at No. 13 to the Jets, No. 14 to the Patriots and No. 15 to the Packers, it’s far from a sure thing that he is the first wide receiver selected.

Flowers reportedly has fans in the Patriots front office at No. 14, and if there is a real slide on wide receivers, Addison has been linked to the Chargers at pick No. 21.

Boston College WR Zay Flowers — who is scheduled to visit the Patriots on Wednesday — has accepted an invitation to and will attend the upcoming NFL draft.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 4, 2023

Jordan Addison originally planned to go to Maryland but then followed Chris Beatty, the WR coach who recruited him at UMD, to Pittsburgh.

Beatty left Pitt to coach in the NFL for the Chargers, who have the 21st overall draft pick.

I’m just saying… 👀

(via @RichEisenShow) pic.twitter.com/e65iUzCvHQ

— Neer Ray (@NeerRayNFL) April 18, 2023

Given where the Ohio State product has been linked, it makes sense that he’s the favorite, but it feels like there are better uses of capital ahead of the draft with this one far from a slam dunk.