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The countdown to the 2026 NFL Draft is almost over.
The draft gives fans hope that better days are ahead for their favorite team, hoping that their franchise’s next star player will have his name called this weekend.
While we’re all going to enjoy Thursday night’s draft, how about we try to enjoy it even more by finding a few winning bets?
Let’s take a look.
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David Bailey being drafted second overall (+275)
After the Las Vegas Raiders selected Fernando Mendoza first overall Thursday night, as expected, all eyes will turn to the New York Jets, who own the No. 2 overall pick in the NFL Draft.
This time last week, Bailey – a 6-foot-3 defensive end from Texas Tech – was favored to finish second. A few weeks earlier, Ohio State star Arvell Reese was picked by the Jets. Now the odds have shifted once again in Reese’s favor, and many believe he will be the pick.
While there is support in the betting market for Reese leaving the set here, it’s far from unanimous.
Many of the most respected mock drafts still have the Jets grabbing Bailey, and there has been enough prevarication from others to make me believe this is more of a coin toss than those odds suggest.
Bailey had 14.5 sacks in his final collegiate season and could prove to be an elite runner at the next level. Putting him at odds of almost 3/1 and given the uncertainty here regarding this pick, it’s worth a shot.
PICK: David Bailey (+275) will be drafted second overall
Jeremy Love to be written by New York Giants
The former Notre Dame star is widely considered the best running back in this draft class and has been deemed generational by some analysts. Certainly, we’ve heard similar superlatives in recent years to describe running backs Ashton Jeanty and Bijan Robinson.
Regardless, Love is a highly-touted dual-threat running back and should be called up early Thursday night.
Love is heavily favored to make the top five, but the question is where exactly it lands.
The Cardinals pick No. 3 and will apparently have a chance to grab him. But with a ton of needs, they could also opt to draft whoever isn’t second between Bailey and Reese. If they go with defense, it will be the Titans next with the fourth pick. New head coach Robert Saleh has a defensive background and perhaps the Titans choose to develop that side of the ball rather than take a running back so early.
That brings us to the Giants at #5.
Over the weekend, they acquired the 10th overall pick, sending Dexter Lawrence to the Bengals. Could new Giants head coach John Harbaugh view this extra selection as a chance to use the fifth pick to help his young quarterback, Jaxson Dart? Dart was hit and injured often last year, and the presence of a potentially elite running back could take some pressure off him, allowing Dart to run less.
Getting long odds on lasting Giants love is tempting, and if he’s there, I don’t think New York will be able to resist.
PICK: Jeremiah Love (+600) will be drafted by the New York Giants
Jermod McCoy draft position Over 32.5 +120
The former Tennessee cornerback would be a lock to be drafted Thursday night if he were fully healthy.
Unfortunately for McCoy, that doesn’t seem to be the case.
McCoy missed the entire 2025 season while recovering from a torn ACL. This week, reports emerged of fears that he would need another surgery, this time to repair a problem with the cartilage in his knee.
This potential surgery would be unrelated to his previously torn ACL, as medical red flags appear to be mounting. Hopefully McCoy can overcome these concerns and have a long and productive NFL career, but for a cornerback who relies on speed and athleticism, there might be too many medical issues for him to go in the first round.
PICK: Jermod McCoy (+120) draft position over 32.5
