NFL Draft Betting: How Many Offensive Linemen Will Go in the First Round?

The sporting action is largely geared toward basketball and baseball during this time of year, but for gridiron diehards, the 2024 NFL Draft can't come soon enough.

With the annual event taking place in Detroit for this season, football's draft (April 25-27) is very near. As always, there are myriad looming questions and storylines to dive into. Still, this draft is tougher to gauge than most. The opening round is projected to be heavy in the trenches.

FanDuel Sportsbook has you covered with various NFL Draft odds. For the sake of this article, let us focus on the O-line; how many offensive linemen (excluding tight ends) will be selected in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft?

Notably, quarterbacks will dominate the initial picks before giving way to other offensive positions. We'll likely see at least one bookend tackle and a couple receivers taken in the top 10, and from there, expect teams to start stocking up on blocking.

With April 25th looming quite closely, let us sift through the incoming draft class. Will we see 10 or more O-linemen come off the board on Day One?

All NFL odds via FanDuel Sportsbook.

NFL Draft Odds

Total Number of Offensive Linemen Drafted in Round 1 -- Over/Under 9.5

Over: -194 | Under: +144

Right away, 9.5 is quite an imposing number to be selected at any one position group. Still, the offensive line is among the most vital units for an NFL franchise.

At FanDuel Sportsbook, the odds (-194) currently favor 10 or more offensive linemen getting their name called on Day 1. To put that in perspective, teams will need to select from this position group at a 31.25% rate through the opening round for over 9.5 to cash.

Now that the mathematics are out of the way, let's survey the field of teams. The first four teams on the clock will be (in order) the Chicago Bears, Washington Commanders, New England Patriots and Arizona Cardinals. Those franchises seem to have their sights set on skill positions.

After the fourth pick, things get a lot more difficult to predict. To round out the top-10 picks, NFL.com draft analyst Bucky Brooks and Pro Football Focus concur that at least two offensive linemen will come off the board.

Bruisers Joe Alt (Notre Dame Fighting Irish) and Taliese Fuaga (Oregon State Beavers) are both viewed as top prospects at tackle. Each man towers north of 6-foot-5, offering prototypical size for the bookend spot. From there, both are coming off All-American campaigns.

Very likely, only two offensive linemen will have been drafted by the 11th spot. For over bettors in this market, that is relying on eight more players from this group to be taken between picks 11 through 32.

As the first round approaches the middle portions, we should see more linemen called. Offensive tackles Olu Fashanu (Penn State Nittany Lions), Troy Fautanu (Washington Huskies) and Amarius Mims (Georgia Bulldogs) are all considered top-tier talents; I'd be somewhat surprised if any of those players were still on the board as the draft enters the 20s.

For teams in need of an interior lineman, Jackson Powers-Johnson (Oregon Ducks) is a tried-and-true mauler. He took the majority of his reps at center in 2023 but maintains collegiate experience at both guard spots. As it is now, Powers-Johnson appears like a cohesive for the Miami Dolphins at pick No. 21 -- the 'Fins have a need there.

Potentially, that brings us to six offensive linemen drafted by the opening round's final trimester -- can we count on four more? The available talent (and current demands) may warrant exactly that.

After Miami at 21, there are multiple teams that could use a boost along the offensive line. The Minnesota Vikings have their second first-round pick at 23rd overall; they also surrendered 47 sacks in 2023, which is more than desired.

Additionally, the Green Bay Packers could also be in the market to improve protection at pick No. 25. In the penultimate position (31st), the San Francisco 49ers might have eyes on a player from this group, especially since blown protection was a theme in their Super Bowl LVIII loss. Proficient people movers like JC Latham (Alabama Crimson Tide), Graham Barton (Duke Blue Devils) and Tyler Guyton (Oklahoma Sooners) would all be great additions for either squad should they be available.

Transparently, tackle -- compared to guard and center -- is the O-line position most frequently drafted in the initial round. Back in 2008, we saw as many as seven OT prospects selected in Round 1. The upcoming draft has a legitimate chance to break that record. From there, can the interior spots contribute a couple players to push us over 9.5?

In 2023, five offensive lineman were taken in the first round. For 2022, eight players from this group heard their name called.

Naturally, FanDuel Sportsbook offers markets on which position several teams will draft with their first pick. For the 2024 NFL Draft, there are currently 23 teams available there; 13 of them have "offensive lineman" listed as the favorite. Use that information how you will!

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.