NFL Draft: Odds suggest Tagovailoa is top-6 pick

April 22 (UPI) -- Former Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is expected to be a top-6 pick and at least seven former LSU players are expected to be taken in the first two rounds of the 2020 NFL Draft.

The draft will air at 8 p.m. EDT Thursday on ESPN, NFL Network and ABC. Prospects and teams will participate virtually after promoters cancelled plans to hold the event in Las Vegas because of the coronavirus pandemic. The draft also will be shown online and on social media.

The event most likely will receive high TV ratings, largely because live sports are banned in the United States because of the pandemic.

ESPN reported Tuesday that its airing of the 2020 WNBA Draft was the most-watched version of the event in 16 years. The network's airing Sunday of two episodes of The Last Dance, a documentary about Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls, were the most-viewed original content broadcasts on the network since 2004.

An NFL Draft-A-Thon COVID-19 relief fundraiser is planned for the three-day event. Draft-A-Thon Live will air Thursday on NFL social media platforms and feature a live stream that includes Rich Eisen, Deion Sanders and Kevin Hart.

The fundraiser will benefits the Salvation Army, Feeding America, Meals on Wheels, United Way, American Red Cross and the CDC Foundation.

Oddsmakers differ

Oddsmakers at SportsBettingDime.com have Tagovailoa at an over/under of 4.5 in the draft order. The over/under point is an indicator for betters so they can wager on Tagovailoa going before or after the fifth pick. The oddsmakers also listed a draft-high 13 prospects from LSU who could be selected in the first two rounds, with quarterback Joe Burrow drafted first by the Cincinnati Bengals.

Burrow, Tagovailoa and former Oregon star Justin Herbert are the first quarterbacks expected to be selected in this year's draft. Oddsmakers at Caesars have the over/under for quarterbacks selected in the top-5 at 2.5.

Caesars gives -110 odds for Herbert to be selected in the top-5 and -230 odds for Tagovailoa in the top-6. Caesars also gives Tagovailoa better odds than Herbert as the No. 3 overall pick.

Other oddsmakers from DraftKings and MGM have Herbert slightly favored to be taken before Tagovailoa. MGM initially had Tagovailoa at an over/under of 3.5 overall, but since moved him to 5.5 overall.

Caesars oddsmakers expect former Ohio State stars Chase Young and Jeff Okudah to be selected after Burrow as the first three players off the board. The Miami Dolphins have the best odds of drafting Tagovailoa, according to Caesars.

The Dolphins and Los Angeles Chargers are the first teams in the draft order with the most urgent need at quarterback. Other teams could make trades to move up in the draft order.

Burrow leads the list of top Tigers prospects after LSU's NCAA championship campaign in 2019-2010. Former Tigers K'Lavon Chaisson, Justin Jefferson, Patrick Queen, Kristian Fulton and Grant Delpit are among those who could be picked in the first round.

Lloyd Cushenberry III, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Damien Lewis, Rashard Lawrence, Thaddeus Moss, Jacob Phillips and Saahdiq Charles are expected to be picked in the first few rounds of the draft.

How to watch

What: 2020 NFL Draft

Who: Top college football prospects (255 draft slots)

When: First round, 8 p.m. EDT Thursday; second and third rounds, 7 p.m. EDT Friday; fourth through seventh rounds, noon EDT Saturday

TV: NFL Network, ESPN, ABC

Stream: NFL app, NFL Network app, ABC app, ESPN app; NFL.com, ESPN.com, ABC.com.

2020 NFL Draft order

1. Cincinnati Bengals

2. Washington Redskins

3. Detroit Lions

4. New York Giants

5. Miami Dolphins