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We are now just two days away from the start of the 2023 NFL Draft, which means we will soon know how the opening round will play out. As far as our Detroit Lions go, they currently hold the No. 6 and No. 18 picks in the opening round, and they should be able to walk away with a pair of top-end players. CBS Sports has released a 2023 NFL Mock Draft based on the betting odds and the Lions go small with the No. 6 pick by selecting CB Devon Witherspoon out of Illinois.
Key Points
- The Lions hold the No. 6 and No. 18 picks in the 2023 NFL Draft.
- CBS Sports’ 2023 NFL Mock Draft based on betting odds has the Lions selecting CB Devon Witherspoon from Illinois with their No. 6 pick and EDGE Myles Murphy with their No. 18 pick.
- While the odds can be a useful indicator, they are not always accurate in predicting draft outcomes, and it’s important not to put too much stock into them.
2023 NFL Mock Draft based on betting odds has Detroit Lions going small
Here is what the odds say the Lions will do in the opening round of the 2023 NFL Draft:
Round 1 (No. 6) – CB Devon Witherspoon
Witherspoon remains the odds-on favorite to go No. 6 at DraftKings and FanDuel but a +130 value at Caesars, where Jalen Carter and Christian Gonzalez are next up at +450. Cornerback is a -130 favorite to be Detroit’s first pick versus +130 for defensive lineman or edge and +1000 for a quarterback. This feels like a key trade-up spot for teams looking to land Anthony Richardson with Las Vegas and Atlanta up next, but the Witherspoon-to-Detroit connection is still too strong in the market to project that here. Witherspoon is close to a coin flip to go Over or Under 6.5 in draft position.
Round 1 (No. 18) – EDGE Myles Murphy
Murphy is slightly juiced to go Over 18.5 at -130, but the other prospects in play for this draft slot play cornerback, and Detroit took Devon Witherspoon at No. 6. Would it be the wildest move to go cornerback-cornerback in the first round? There’s certainly less of a chance that happens than the Lions trading down, but I’m not sure who makes sense to trade up at this point. So the Lions wind up with a Witherspoon-Murphy pairing rather than something like Jalen Carter and Joey Porter Jr. or Deonte Banks. If they have a high grade on either of those corners, that also makes a quarterback in the top 10 more interesting.
Bottom Line: Does Vegas know?
A lot of people are putting WAY TOO MUCH stock into what the odds are saying about who will be drafted with each pick in the upcoming draft. Folks, each year, Vegas put out the odds for who will be selected with each pick, and each year, they are wrong just as often as some random draft guru who puts out their final mock draft.
