Odds drop on Kyler Murray at No. 1 as NFL draft's top pick still uncertain
Kliff Kingsbury’s last-second smokescreen may have worked after all. With the NFL draft approaching, oddsmakers have become less sure Kyler Murray will be the No 1 overall pick Thursday night.
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That wasn’t the case weeks ago, when Murray was being listed as the heavy favorite to go No. 1 overall by most sportsbooks, according to David Purdum of ESPN:
The odds of the Oklahoma quarterback to be taken first overall by the Arizona Cardinals had been listed at -1,200 in previous weeks at FanDuel's New Jersey sportsbook, but were down to -400 as of Wednesday morning.
Odds were even higher at the SuperBook at Westgate Las Vegas. Murray’s odds to go No. 1 overall jumped to -2,500 before being taken off the board last week.
Murray’s plummeting draft odds may have something to do with comments made by Kingsbury on Tuesday. The Arizona Cardinals head coach said the team was still undecided on who they were going to take No. 1 overall.
Many believed Kingsbury was just trying to create confusion with that statement. Given the gravity of the situation, you would like to believe the Cardinals know who they are taking No. 1 overall.
If it’s not going to Murray, then who else stands a chance? The oddsmakers believe Nick Bosa or Quinnen Williams would be next in line.
Would the Cardinals actually do that? Despite dropping odds, Murray is still considered the favorite to go No. 1 overall. The Cardinals selected Josh Rosen with their first pick last season, but the team overhauled its coaching staff during the offseason.
While Kingsbury has said encouraging things about Rosen, everyone knows how much he likes Murray. Prior to taking the Cardinals job, Kingsbury said he would select Murray with the first pick in the draft. He actually has a chance to live up to those words Thursday.
Until then, the Cardinals are going to create an air of uncertainty around the pick as a form of strategy. If that tactic is impacting oddsmakers, maybe actual NFL teams will fall for it too.
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
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