Steve Starr
- Bovada has updated Super Bowl 54 odds following Round One of the 2019 NFL Draft
- Chiefs are a bad bet at 7/1 with Tyreek Hill poised for a long-term suspension
- Eagles (14/1), Steelers (22/1), Vikings (22/1) and Panthers (55/1) all improved after day one
While the 2019 NFL Draft offered spectacular fashion choices, awkward stage encounters with commissioner Roger Goodell, and plenty of intrigue, it didn’t exactly have the biggest impact on Super Bowl 54 odds. Why? Because the very nature of the draft means that football’s worst teams have all the top picks.
Odds to Win Super Bowl 54 (2020)
| Teams | Super Bowl 54 Futures at Bovada (April. 26, 2019) |
|---|---|
| Kansas City Chiefs | +700 |
| New England Patriots | +700 |
| Los Angeles Rams | +900 |
| New Orleans Saints | +900 |
| Chicago Bears | +1200 |
| Cleveland Browns | +1200 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | +1400 |
| Indianapolis Colts | +1600 |
| Los Angeles Chargers | +1600 |
| Dallas Cowboys | +2000 |
| Green Bay Packers | +2200 |
| Minnesota Vikings | +2200 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | +2200 |
| Houston Texans | +2500 |
| San Francisco 49ers | +2500 |
| Seattle Seahawks | +2500 |
| Baltimore Ravens | +3000 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | +3500 |
| Atlanta Falcons | +3500 |
| Carolina Panthers | +5500 |
| Denver Broncos | +6000 |
| Oakland Raiders | +6600 |
| Tennessee Titans | +7000 |
| New York Giants | +7500 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | +7500 |
| New York Jets | +8000 |
| Detroit Lions | +9000 |
| Arizona Cardinals | +10000 |
| Buffalo Bills | +10000 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | +15000 |
| Miami Dolphins | +15000 |
| Washington Redskins | +15000 |
Kansas City Chiefs (+700)
The Chiefs traded their first-round pick (and much more) to Seattle on Tuesday in exchange for defensive end Frank Clark. While the move signaled the franchise is in “win now” mode with superstar Patrick Mahomes on a rookie contract, a massive setback came on Thursday when a Kansas City news station aired an audio recording that will almost surely get irreplaceable speed demon Tyreek Hill suspended.
The Chiefs have told Tyreek Hill he will not be a part of team activities until more is known about the audio recording that surfaced in his son’s abuse case.
More on that here: https://t.co/eMWHnLHNMS
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 26, 2019
New England Patriots (+700)
Here’s an interesting tidbit from the NFL Network’s Michael Giardi: For the first time under Bill Belichick, the Patriots used a first-round selection on a wide receiver, grabbing Arizona State’s N’Keal Harry. With 12 picks in this year’s draft, including five in rounds 2 and 3 combined, look for New England to keep revamping their Gronk-less offense.
Eagles (+1400) and Vikings (+2200)
Picking offensive lineman never sells a lot of jerseys, but it’s what smart teams do. Philadelphia traded two late-round picks to jump ahead of the Texans and steal Andre Dillard, the eventual replacement for legendary left tackle Jason Peters.
Howie being Howie.
No offensive lineman in this draft put more pass-protection snaps on tape than Andre Dillard, and @PFF_College graded him as the No. 1 pass-protection player in the nation in 2018.
Proved it in a huge sample size.#Eagles
— Evan Silva (@evansilva) April 26, 2019
Meanwhile, in Minnesota, Gary Kubiak is now running the show on offense (don’t let his official title fool you). The center position is key to the legendary coach’s zone-blocking scheme, and Garrett Bradbury just so happened to be the top-rated player at the position AND one of Kubiak’s “favorite guys in the whole draft.”
Steelers (+2200) and Panthers (+5500)
Pittsburgh is now without both Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell, but the franchise’s biggest setback in recent years was losing Ryan Shazier to a serious spine injury in 2017. Well, they may have finally found his replacement, drafting explosive linebacker Devin Bush at #10 after shipping a 2nd and 3rd round pick to Denver to move up ten spots. Already one of my best bets to exceed their expected win total, the Steelers should not be counted out in the AFC North.
Steelers definitely saw Devin Bush’s outfit and traded up ?? pic.twitter.com/gecZh9CAHT
— Kristine Leahy (@KristineLeahy) April 26, 2019
Considering Carolina looked like one of the league’s best teams before Cam Newton suffered a shoulder injury last season, it might be worth flagging that they’re currently available at 55/1 to win the Super Bowl. After beefing up their offensive line in free agency, GM Marty Hurney grabbed speedy edge rusher Brian Burns at #16 to bolster a defense that was bottom-six in sacks and bottom-two in QB hits last season.
Trent Reinsmith 
