NFL Draft Odds Signal Trevon Moehrig-Woodard To Be First Safety Taken

• Trevon Moehrig-Woodard has -500 odds to be first safety selected in the 2021 NFL Draft.
• Jevon Holland has next best odds at +400.
• Richie Grant with +550 odds is the only other safety short of +4000.

NEW YORK – With the 2021 NFL Draft coming up next week, online sportsbooks have begun to get specific with their betting lines.

Sportsbooks like Bovada list Trevon Moehrig-Woodard as the sizable favorite to be the first safety taken off the board at this year’s NFL Draft. Moehrig-Woodard has the numbers back up his -500 odds; having led all FBS safeties in pass breakups in each of his previous two seasons.

Moehrig-Woodard may have seen those numbers inflated a bit by playing in one of the most pass-heavy conferences, but there’s no doubt the talent is there.

2021 NFL Draft - First Safety Drafted Odds

• Trevon Moehrig-Woodard -500
• Jevon Holland +400
• Richie Grant +550
• Caden Sterns +4000
• Andre Cisco +4000
• Hamsah Nasirildeen +8000
• Paris Ford +15000
• Joshuah Bledsoe +25000

The Context

Both PFF and ESPN’s Mel Kiper have Moehrig as the only safety taken in the first round. Many mock drafts don’t even have the second safety being taken until the late-second or early-third round.

Moehrig is the reigning Jim Thorpe Award winner, the award given to the nation’s top defensive back, but that does not guarantee a high draft placement. Last year’s winner, Grant Delpit, was the third safety selected and overall ninth defensive back taken in the 2020 draft.

The Underdogs

Nobody likes laying -500 worth of juice, so which of these other safeties are worth a bet to be taken in the NFL Draft before Moehrig? The only plausible options are Jevon Holland and Richie Grant.

Holland is one of many players who opted out of the 2020 season. While it seems that many players who opted out did not see their draft stock change, Holland may have dropped a little bit on team’s big boards without seeing an extra year of film.

Holland started at safety for Oregon as a true freshman but dropped down to slot corner his sophomore year. His versatility and ball skills (nine interceptions in two seasons) give him huge upside as safety that can do it all. Holland’s biggest doubts come from his speed and lack of film at either safety or slot corner.

Other than Moehrig or Holland, the last realistic option would be Richie Grant. Grant is an experienced player having seen north of 2,600 career snaps at UCF. He’s a play-maker given he’s forced six fumbles to go along with his 10 interceptions in his career.

However, there are doubts about Grant’s speed and length as well as the fact that he is an older recruit with less time to grow.

The NFL Draft starts on April 29, and these odds are just part of the dozens of NFL Draft betting lines available now.