It's Almost NFL Draft Time in NYC

By Simon Andras

We love football, and since the first preseason game is still too many months away, it's time to get excited about the NFL draft, which will be held once again in New York City's Radio City Music Hall during the second week of May. For the football obsessed fans out there who couldn't be bothered to watch a boring early season baseball game, you might want to start doing some draft research now and turn it into some money. That's right, you can gamble on the NFL draft. Is this your dream come true?

Sports gambling is simply a huge industry. Countless billions are wagered world wide - a lot of it illegally - every single year. Our love for sports has led to not only wager on the games themselves, but everything associated with them like the hilarious prop bets that go on during every Super Bowl that we've all heard about and how many millions (or perhaps billions) are wagered on them. With that said, is dropping a bet on who you think will go number one overall that big a stretch anyways? If you're like me, this has you already preparing your big board for draft day.

The nitty gritty of draft bets

I'm sure football fans will take advantage of this in near record numbers this spring after months of waiting following the worst Super Bowl in recent memory. This is your chance to make right some of those stupid bets you lost out on in February. If you aren't sure who Houston will take at #1 - and let's be honest, who is at this point - you can drop some prop bets on the over/under of where you think certain high value players like Johnny Manziel will be selected.

I'm waiting for other fun bets to show up - like how long will the Minnesota Vikings take on the clock this year or maybe how many trades will there be in the first round. It's just a matter of time before we are betting on every pick of day one. That's how big the NFL is and it's also just how much our love for sports betting has grown.

Free agent prop bets

If you're not the next Mel Kiper Jr. wannabe and the draft simply isn't your thing, perhaps laying a few prop bets on this year's free agent crop is more up your alley. You can pick random little stats about the key free agents - like over/under of how many games Michael Vick plays, total receiving yards over/unders for guys like Steve Smith, Hakeem Nicks or Emmanuel Sanders or perhaps under/unders for Julius Pepper's and Jared Allen's sack totals. Whatever your choice, it's out there for the wagering.

Football and gambling - together, forever

Gambling has become almost inseparable from every aspect of football. Simply sitting down and watching the games on Sunday afternoon is almost a thing of the past. Almost assuredly, your Sunday now involves some form of gambling - whether it's fantasy football or just playing the weekend's spreads. Our love for this inseparable combination is now creeping into the offseason - people literally take days off their jobs to go watch the the NFL combine now! I'm with you, I can't get my football/betting fix either, but I'll leave the combine to those getting paid much more than I.

Will you be attending the draft in New York this year? What about placing any prop bets on the draft or free agency? Share your comments and who you like, and let's heat up some offseason discussions!