Falcons among the betting favorites to draft CB Jeff Odukah despite having 16th pick

If the Falcons are planning to pull the trigger on a trade-up come Thursday night, they’ve done a lousy job keeping it a secret. The oddsmakers over at Oddschecker currently list the Falcons as having the third-highest odds of selecting Ohio State cornerback Jeff Okudah in the first round.

Okudah is thought of as the best CB prospect in this draft class and is expected to be the first CB off the board.

The Detroit Lions are the presumed (and heavy) favorites to select the Ohio State man at -110, the Carolina Panthers are second at +500, and the Falcons have just surged into third place at +700.

One of these is not like the other, however, as the Lions are sitting at pick number 3 and the Panthers are at pick number 7. The Falcons are much further down at 16, meaning that the books are in firm belief that Thomas Dimitroff will trade up, and that it won’t be a small trade up.

Oddschecker spokesperson Pete Watt had the following to say: “Seeing a prospect as hot as Okudah at such a short price to go to a team with such a low pick doesn’t quite add up.”

“Dimitroff has made no secret of where he wants to strengthen his team in the draft and oddsmakers’ have not turned a blind eye; 16^th pick being 3^rd favorite for arguably the best cornerback on offer demonstrates their belief that the Falcons will be trading up on April 23.”

Chris Mortensen has reported that the Falcons are expected to be very aggressive in the first round, not ruling out the possibility of moving into the top 5. Trader Thomas looks like he will be true to his nickname come Thursday night if the tea leaves are being read correctly.