The 2021 NFL Draft is here. As we gear up for a fresh new wave of college football prospects to enter the NFL, a lot of people are wondering what the local teams are going to do.
With that in mind, we’re examining the Philadelphia Eagles, New York Giants and New York Jets, and honing in on our favorite NFL Draft props related to those three squads.
New York Giants
The New York Giants have had a busy offseason as they added to a roster that they hope is on the rise. The Giants showed some real moxie under first-year head coach Joe Judge and the front office has rewarded him with some new pieces to play with.
That includes wide receiver Kenny Golladay, who adds to an already talented offense, and cornerback Adoree Jackson, who should assist the defense. In terms of the draft, the Giants actually have a bit of flexibility.
Biggest Draft Needs
Even after signing Golladay, the Giants might go with a wide receiver with their top pick. They do have Darius Slayton and Sterling Shepard, so they would appear to be stocked at the position (especially with Evan Engram on the roster too). However, this unit is always banged up and that’s left Daniel Jones short of weapons. There’s also a lot of good wideouts on the board.
At the same time, the Giants need help on the edge with their pass rush. Leonard Williams picked up 11.5 sacks last season but he needs some help. The team also desperately needs help at cornerback, so any of those three positions wouldn’t be a surprise with their first pick.
Best Prop To Bet
Rumor has it that Giants General Manager Dave Gettleman is open to trading back, which is not something we’re accustomed to hearing from him. With that in mind, one might surmise that he would be looking to find a cornerback.
If the top three wideouts are gone by the time the Giants are drafting, they could trade back because corners probably won’t be at a premium until a bit later.
If you think the Giants are going with a wideout, DeVonta Smith is a good bet at +380 at FanDuel Sportsbook. If not, take a flier on Caleb Farley at +5000.
New York Jets
The Jets have had a whirlwind of an offseason so far as they’ve reshaped their entire organization. They’ll have a new head coach after Robert Saleh was hired and they’ll have a new starting quarterback after Sam Darnold was traded away. The Jets were active but cautious in free agency, investing in a number of veterans like Corey Davis and Tevin Coleman who will help lay the foundation for the future. So where does that leave them for the draft?
Biggest Draft Needs
The Jets have a gaping hole at quarterback and the general assumption is that they’re drafting a signal-caller with the second pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.
With Trevor Lawrence expected to be off the board, that leaves guys like Zach Wilson, Justin Fields and Trey Lance as options. By all accounts, it’s going to be Wilson. Sportsbooks like FanDuel won’t even let you bet it; that’s how certain they are.
Besides quarterback, this squad needs help at cornerback and pass rush. They did sign Lamarcus Joyner and Vinny Curry in free agency, but these are depth pieces.
They gave up 34 passing touchdowns last season, a number which only two other teams surpassed. As for the pass rush, they didn’t get much off the edge as Quinnen Williams had seven sacks; no other player on the team had more than three.
Best Prop To Bet
With it being quite obvious who the Jets are taking with their first pick, there aren’t a ton of props on them. One that does offer value is betting on who’ll they take with their second pick. Cornerback is favored at +220 at DraftKings Sportsbook and that looks like a good option. The Jets should have some good options at the top of the second round and most mock drafts have them going in that direction.
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are clearly a team in transition as the team canned head coach Doug Pederson in the offseason and then traded away quarterback Carson Wentz. A few years ago, it would have been unfathomable that the Eagles would do such a think but reality is quite different.
The Eagles lost safety Jalen Mills in free agency, the linebacking corps is extremely thin and who knows what shape the offensive line is in. That’s just the start of it as the Eagles could go in a number of directions.
Biggest Draft Need
With the Eagles transition to Jalen Hurts at quarterback, they might want to get him some weapons to work with. Travis Fulgham led the team in receiving yards last season and he only had 539 receiving yards. Only one wideout – Greg Ward – had more than 38 catches.
The team is hoping that Jalen Reagor develops but he’s still a big question mark at this point. They can’t just hang Hurts out to dry next season, so this should be a big priority.
They have the 12th pick in the 2021 NFL Draft and considering the depth at the top of this draft, receiver makes a lot of sense. If all three of the elite wideouts are gone (Ja’Marr Chase, Jaylen Waddle and Smith), the Eagles will have to turn elsewhere.
However, it feels like one of them will be there. With the Giants going for Smith in our projections above, the pick for the Eagles roster here will be Jaylen Waddle. You can bet him at +430 at FanDuel Sportsbook to be the Eagles first selection.
