NFL Draft 2021: Will Najee Harris or Travis Etienne be the first RB selected?
Which top running back will hear their name called first on draft night?
The NFL Draft is fast approaching, the first round is three weeks from today on April 29th.
A two-man race is developing for who will be the first running back selected between a pair of dominant backs.
Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook
Najee Harris is the considerable favorite to go first after putting up video game numbers for Alabama last season. The Crimson Tide bell cow rushed for 1,466 yards and had 425 yards receiving yards to go with 30 all purpose touchdowns.
Sign up for a new DraftKings account and bet $1 to win $100 if any quarterback is selected #1 overall! It's a no-brainer! CLICK HERE to get started!
Harris is featured in the second half of the first round in most mock drafts, notably to the Pittsburgh Steelers at No. 24, and Todd McShay of ESPN thinks that he is going to be selected in the first round based on his development over the last year.
However, as the 2020 NFL Draft showed, running backs are one of the most unpredictable to project and bet on. Running backs are more of a fit over talent at times.
In the 2020 Draft, the Kansas City Chiefs selected Clyde Edwards-Helaire with the No. 32 pick in the Draft. CEH closed anywhere from +600-+800 to be picked.
Clemson product Travis Etienne is an immensely talented prospect and a team could fall in love with him come draft night. Etienne rushed for over 900 in three consecutive seasons. On top of that, he caught 48 passes for 588 yards in the 2020 season.
Sign up for a new FanDuel account and bet $5 to win $100 if Trevor Lawrence is the 1st pick in the 2021 NFL Draft! (Lawrence's un-boosted odds are -100000!) CLICK HERE to get started!
There is a clear top two between Harris and Etienne and I don’t envision there is a dark horse in this year’s class. While it appears that Harris is likely to go first, there is more variance in the later picks than early on.
At this point, I can’t lay -150 on Harris to be the first back taken given the uncertainty around the position as a whole. Etienne has slight value at +200 but I plan on waiting it out and monitoring mock drafts to see if any news comes up on the Clemson running back before betting on it.
