Momentum clearly is building toward the 49ers taking quarterback Mac Jones with the third overall pick in the draft. And the betting odds are reflecting it.
As of March 29, the day on which coach Kyle Shanahan and G.M. John Lynch addressed publicly the move from No. 12 to No. 3, Trey Lance was the PointsBet favorite at +130. Next came Justin Fields at +150 and Jones at +160.
Things have changed dramatically since then. Now, Jones is the -200 favorite, with Fields at +250 and Lance at +300.
In the immediate aftermath of the trade, not many pegged Jones as the likely pick. Chris Simms, who has no inside information (or so he says) but who knows Shanahan well, said that he believes it will be Jones. Others who initially thought it would be Lance or Fields listened. More importantly, wagers were made based in reliance on Simms’ assessment -- and the odds changed accordingly.
Three weeks from tonight, we’ll find out pick No. 3 and the other 31 selections in round one, as the 2021 draft gets rolling.