Jaguars Given 1/5 Odds to Pick No. 1 Overall in 2021 NFL Draft
After an entire season of the New York Jets being the favorite to pick No. 1 overall once the 2021 NFL Draft comes around, the Jacksonville Jaguars have officially taken their place in the pecking order in terms of odds.
According to BetOnline, the Jaguars now have 1/5 odds (-500) to secure the draft's top selection and presumably Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence. Thanks to some help from Marcus Maye, Frank Gore, and the rest of the New York Jets, the Jaguars are now slated to hold the No. 1 pick following New York's 23-20 upset of the Los Angeles Rams in Week 15.
BetOnline has made the Jaguars (1-3) six-point underdogs against the Chicago Bears (7-7) in a Week 16 clash in Jacksonville. The Jaguars are already guaranteed a top-2 pick, but two more losses (or one more Jets win) can help the Jaguars secure the No. 1 pick for the first time in franchise history.
Jacksonville has previously picked No. 2 overall three times; Tony Boselli (1995), Kevin Hardy (1996), and Luke Joeckel (2013). The team has never held the No. 1 overall pick before, but that could change with a loss to the Bears and then to the Colts in Week 17.
ESPN's FPI has given the Jaguars an over 70% likelihood to have the first pick. Jacksonville has had to battle questions over tanking all season, questions that have only intensified as the Jaguars have lost 13 straight games, tying a franchise record.
"You know, this team has been going through a lot. They've been trying hard and we understand that and I know they're professionals. But if we gather up all of us together, coaches and players, the greatest gift that we can all give to each other is the gift of winning a football game," Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone said after the Week 15 40-14 loss to Baltimore.
The Jaguars will close their season with the 7-7 Bears at home and the 10-4 Colts on the road. The Jets, meanwhile, will host the 10-4 Browns this weekend before going on the road in Week 17 to play the 6-8 New England Patriots.
