On March 29, North Dakota St. quarterback Trey Lance was the favorite to be the third overall pick in the draft. Then, Alabama quarterback Mac Jones became the favorite. Now, there’s a third favorite to go third overall.
PointsBet has made Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields the favorite to become the pick of the 49ers at No. 3
Currently, Fields has odds of -125 for to hear his name called as the third player picked, two weeks from tonight. Jones is +100, and Lance is +450.
On March 29, Lance was the favorite at +130. Fields had odds of +150, and Jones stood at +160. By April 8, Jones moved to -200 favorite, with Fields at +250 and Lance at +300.
Now, it’s Fields.
The reason for the shift isn’t clear. Surely, the 49ers aren’t investing three first-round picks and a third-round pick without having a damn good idea as to their intended selection. There’s a fine line, frankly, between building a mystery and creating the impression that the 49ers traded up without a firm and specific plan.
Also, keep this simple reality of the NFL’s ultimate reality show in mind. For the same reason that the powers-that-be don’t want picks to be tipped during the draft, they also don’t want a bunch of picks to be set in stone before the draft begins. Already, it’s widely presumed that the Jaguars will take Trevor Lawrence at No. 1 and the Jets will take Zach Wilson at No. 2. If the 49ers make their plans known, why tune in for the first hour of the draft?
So don’t be surprised if reporters and analysts who work for the networks that will televise the draft to try to keep the plans at No. 3 and beyond as vague and uncertain as possible, for as long as possible. Indeed, why would anyone watch the ultimate reality show is the ultimate reality already is known?