NFL betting enthusiasts know that the Rams struggled horribly last football betting season, but most of the problems were the result of injuries. NFL betting fans must be flexible in their handicapping approach to each team at the beginning of a new season because the NFL Draft allows teams to amass huge amounts of talent. The bottom NFL betting teams from one season get the best picks in the draft, so this situation allows the worst teams to acquire elite players who can possibly improve their teams’ football betting value. In this NFL Draft Special the top four picks in the most recent NFL draft will be analyzed from a football betting perspective to see how they may impact on their respective teams.
The top draft pick, tackle Jake Long, is considered by many NFL betting analysts to be an excellent fit for Miami, which is rebuilding its team and will need strong protection for whoever the quarterback will be. Parcells and the Dolphins decided on Long well before draft day, and Long will be ready to play immediately, as opposed to other players who may need time to adapt to life in the NFL. The Dolphins certainly will not be Super Bowl contenders in 2008, but there is little doubt among NFL betting experts that Long will help the team provide much better NFL betting value than it did in last year’s forgettable 1-15 season.
The second pick in the 2008 Draft, defensive end Chris Long, was selected by the St. Louis Rams. Barring similar bad luck in 2008, the offense should be quite competitive and Long will help bolster the defense so that it can compete against playoff caliber teams. Therefore, NFL betting fans should not be surprised to see the Rams competing for a Playoff spot this year, despite their pitiful 3-13 record in 2007.
The third pick in the draft, Matt Ryan of Boston College, was the first quarterback selected. Ryan was acquired by the Falcons, whose NFL betting value has plummeted since the loss of Michael Vick. The Falcons hope that Ryan can help turn around the struggling franchise. However, even if Ryan is the solution to the Falcons’ problems, NFL betting veterans know that quarterbacks need time to develop in the NFL, so Ryan likely will not be impacting the Falcons’ NFL betting lines for a few seasons. Therefore, while Ryan may turn the Falcons into playoff contenders once again, do not expect him to give the team excellent NFL betting value in the near future.
The fourth pick in the 2008 Draft, and the final pick that will be considered in this NFL Draft Special, is running back Darren McFadden, who was acquired by the Raiders. No NFL betting analyst doubts McFadden’s dynamic ability as a runner, so he should be an important new weapon in Oakland’s offensive arsenal. However, the Raiders already had a decent running game, so by drafting McFadden and ignoring other issues the Raiders may not have boosted their football betting value as much as some NFL betting fans will expect.