2024 NFL Draft Odds: Who Will Be First Defensive Player Drafted?

The 2024 NFL Draft is fast approaching with the first round set to be on Thursday, April 25, and while the defensive players won’t make up the top five this year, there’s plenty of intrigue as to who will hear their name first. 

For much of the pre-draft process, Alabama pass rusher Dallas Turner has been the favorite to be the first defensive player selected as he was the consensus No. 8 overall pick for much of the early mock drafts. However, there are differing opinions forming around which player can go first as more information becomes public with other pass rushers and cornerbacks entering the conversation. 

Two pass rushers, UCLA’s Laiatu Latu and Florida State’s Jared Verse, are the second and third choice to be the first defensive player selected in the 2024 NFL Draft with Toledo cornerback Quinyon Mitchell the only other player with odds 10-1 or shorter. 

Turner remains the odds on favorite, but there are some differing opinions forming around the draft community as to who will go No. 8, or if this process can drag out beyond the top 10. 

First, here are the updated odds from FanDuel Sportsbook. 

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2024 NFL Draft First Defensive Player Selected

Will Dallas Turner be First Defensive Player Selected?

The commonly held belief is that No. 8 is the first landing spot for a defensive player in this year’s draft given the plethora of offensive players fitting needs in the top seven. 

Turner is typically rated as the top pass rusher, but if Atlanta stands pat at No. 8 and bolsters its defense after acquiring Kirk Cousins this offseason, the team may look elsewhere. 

Latu has surged up the odds board in this particular market due to his connection with Falcons’ defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake. Latu, a Washington transfer, played for Lake at UW a few years back before medically retiring. However, he returned and moved to UCLA where he had an outstanding two seasons for the Bruins, tallying 23.5 sacks in two seasons. 

Verse is a fellow pass rusher that is highly regarded, totaling 18 sacks in two seasons for the Seminoles and popping in his athletic testing. Of course, the further along you get in the draft, the more outcomes become viable and team grades play more of a role as the Falcons can go in another direction and another team enters the discussion.

As Falcons beat reporter notes, cornerback can also be in play for the Falcons due to Lake’s background as a DB’s coach. Marino notes Mitchell and Terrion Arnold as possible fits in a recent tweet when discussing the future of cornerback AJ Terrell.

Markets are being released more and more by the day and information is becoming more public, stay tuned!

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.