The Big Ten expanded its ranks in 2024 and is sending a boatload of prospects to the 2025 NFL Draft, with close to double figures expected to be drafted in the first round in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
The over/under betting line has seasoned punters intrigued with money to be made on a close line. Let’s explore which Big Ten prospects could be selected in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft and which side of the betting line you should land.
How Many Big Ten Players Could Be Selected in the First Round of the 2025 NFL Draft?
The 2025 NFL Draft could see the most Big Ten prospects drafted in the first round in over a decade. Over the last 10 years, the conference has averaged 5.9 players drafted on Day 1. However, the additions of the Oregon Ducks, Washington Huskies, USC Trojans, and UCLA Bruins to the conference should bump those numbers up over the next few seasons.
In 2024, the conference had only four first-round prospects drafted, and that number is expected to be blown out of the water in 2025. Furthermore, the number of Big Ten first-round prospects could go above the nine selected in 2023.
DraftKings has set the over/under at 9.5 Big Ten prospects drafted in the first round, with the under favored slightly at -150. However, the over could be the play for bettors looking to wager on the 2025 NFL Draft, with the odds for more than 9.5 Big Ten prospects in the first round currently at +120.
Bettors should be closely looking at the over due to the sheer amount of talent the Big Ten is sending to the draft. Abdul Carter, Mason Graham, Tyler Warren, Will Johnson, Colston Loveland, Kenneth Grant, Josh Simmons, Derrick Harmon, and Josh Conerly Jr. are all expected to have their names called on night one. That is nine prospects already.
Additionally, Ohio State Buckeyes’ trio TreVeyon Henderson, Emeka Egbuka, and Donovan Jackson are teetering on the edge as first-round prospects along with UCLA linebacker Carson Schwesinger, who is a longshot to be a Day 1 prospect but has a lot of love within the league.
Egbuka is currently -200 to be a first-round name, while Henderson’s current odds are +150 and Jackson’s are +230 to be Day 1 prospects.
Bettors only need one of those names to be drafted in the first round on Thursday night for the over to hit, with even some margin for error.
They all have the talent and the value to be taken in the first round, but with the value being considered so close, teams could look to draft what are historically considered less important positions (like running back and interior offensive line) on Day 2.
The only way the under would cash in is down to medicals. Ohio State left tackle Simmons suffered a patellar tear after six games, and while he projects as a first-round player, if his medical reports are worrisome, teams could look elsewhere.
However, offensive tackles are often drafted early in the first round of the NFL Draft, with the average being over five in the last three seasons. Simmons is -700 to be drafted in the first round.
Which Big Ten Players Could Be Selected in the First Round of the 2025 NFL Draft?
It is clear that the Big Ten has produced the talent for the over to hit. Eleven players are ranked within the top 32 prospects on CSN’s 2025 NFL Draft Top 300 Big Board, and 15 are in the top 50.
Although a word of caution, in our recent 2025 NFL Mock Draft, only nine Big Ten prospects were taken in the first round, just below the over/under line of 9.5. Jackson, Egbuka, and Conerly Jr., alongside Quinshon Judkins and Tyleik Williams, were drafted early in the second round.
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- EDGE Abdul Carter, Penn State
- DT Mason Graham, Michigan
- TE Tyler Warren, Penn State
- CB Will Johnson, Michigan
- TE Colston Loveland, Michigan
- DT Kenneth Grant, Michigan
- OT Josh Simmons, Ohio State
- DT Derrick Harmon, Oregon
- OT Josh Conerly Jr., Oregon
Other Potential Names
- WR Emeka Egbuka, Ohio State
- RB TreVeyon Henderson, Ohio State
- OL Donovan Jackson, Ohio State
- LB Carson Schwesinger, UCLA
- DT Tyleik Williams, Ohio State
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