There is a new betting favorite to be selected first overall in the 2022 NFL draft
With just three days remaining until the 2022 NFL draft, the football community still has very little conviction regarding how things are going to play out in Las Vegas. We are set to witness one of the most unpredictable and surprising drafts in recent memory.
Fitting in with this theme of unpredictability, we have a new betting favorite for the first overall pick, according to DraftKings Sportsbook.
With -150 odds, Georgia defensive end Travon Walker is currently the favorite to be selected with the 2022 NFL draft’s first pick, which is presently owned by the Jacksonville Jaguars. Walker has overtaken long-standing favorite Aidan Hutchinson, a fellow defensive end from Michigan. Hutchinson’s odds have dipped to +135.
WOW! Travon Walker is now the betting favorite to be drafted 1st Overall, via @DKSportsBook pic.twitter.com/O0BZBKgNO0
— Big Blue United (@BigBlueUnited) April 25, 2022
Walker and Hutchinson are easily the top two favorites to be selected with the first pick. They are followed by North Carolina State tackle Ikem Ekwonu (+1400), Alabama tackle Evan Neal (+1600), Oregon defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux (+1800), and Liberty quarterback Malik Willis (+4000).
If Walker does go off the board at number one, it could set off an unforeseen domino effect that impacts the New York Jets‘ potential decision with the fourth pick. Perhaps it opens the door for Hutchinson to miraculously fall to the Jets at No. 4 – although one would assume the Detroit Lions would happily snag the hometown kid with the second pick. But, who knows? Anything could happen in this particular draft.
Walker is one of the most polarizing prospects in the 2022 class. The Georgia product ranks among the best pure athletes in NFL draft history and boasts an incredible ceiling thanks to those natural gifts, but his collegiate production was underwhelming (9.5 sacks in three years). With the right coaching staff to develop him, he does have the chance to become a star.
