Who Will Be the First Defensive Player Taken in the NFL Draft?

The latest rumblings surrounding the 2021 NFL Draft suggest that we could be seeing history made on Thursday night. Some analysts project the first 10 players picked in this class will all be offensive guys, which would be the first time that has happened in the common draft era.

But that doesn't mean there aren't good defensive players available in this class. There are game-changing defenders available at pretty much every position this offseason.

With that in mind, let's take a look at the odds for who will be the first defensive player selected in the NFL Draft, using FanDuel Sportsbook's NFL Draft position odds.

NFL Draft Best Available Defenders

1. Patrick Surtain, CB, Alabama Crimson Tide

Draft Position Over/Under: 10.5 – Over: (+146) | Under: (-178)

2. Jaycee Horn, CB, South Carolina Gamecocks

Draft Position Over/Under: 12.5 – Over: (+144) | Under: (-178)

3. Micah Parsons, LB, Penn State Nittany Lions

Draft Position Over/Under: 12.5 – Over: (-174) | Under: (+142)

4. Kwity Paye, EDGE, Michigan Wolverines

Draft Position Over/Under: 16.5 – Over: (-126) | Under: (+100)

5. Jaelan Phillips, EDGE, Miami Hurricanes

Draft Position Over/Under: 18.5 – Over: (-110) | Under: (-110)

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Max Staley is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Max Staley also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username mstaley1212. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.