Everyone loves feeling like an insider this time of year. But with odds — and intel — so ever-changing based on the motives of a given team or player, it can be hard to iron out which bets are best.
For the 2022 NFL Draft, sportsbooks are in a fantastic position, especially for the first overall pick. Nine different players have been atop the betting boards for that selection, meaning sportsbooks will make out like bandits no matter who is selected.
Since July, 9⃣ different players @PointsBetUSA have been listed as the favorite to be drafted No. 1 overall 🤯 pic.twitter.com/F4DBCgUgjz
— Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) April 26, 2022
A lot of bettors got in early across the NFL Draft market — much to the sportsbooks' delight. Many, for instance, bet on Pittsburgh quarterback Kenny Pickett to be the first quarterback taken in Thursday's draft before the month started, enough for that pick to have been the third-most bet on prop this year.
While those bettors may still be able to cash in, Pickett's odds have lengthened precipitously since those wagers were placed. Liberty quarterback Malik Willis is the betting favorite in that market with -145 odds.
Pickett is +145, according to PointsBet as of Tuesday night. He had been as short as -110 in this market. The majority of bets had been made before odds shifted substantially.
The most popular draft prop at PointsBet is for Cincinnati cornerback Ahmad Gardner to be the first cornerback picked.
Gardner's draft stock has risen exponentially after an electric season with the Bearcats.
He went from a potential first-rounder during the preseason to a definite one, and he's shot up the draft boards even more in recent weeks.
In fact, as recently as Tuesday morning, he was the favorite to go No. 3 overall, which would have definitely made him the highest cornerback selected. Since 1997, only one corner has ever been picked in the top-three: Jeff Okudah out of Ohio State, who went to the Lions at No. 3 overall in 2020.
Now, though, another cornerback has usurped Gardner for that throne. LSU cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. is the betting favorite to go No. 3 to the Texans at +300, but Gardner isn't far behind at +400.
Another Gardner prop is among the most popular bets heading into Thursday.
The Cincinnati cornerback has the fifth-most wagers on him to be selected fifth or better. That line had opened at an over/under of 8.5. The under at 5.5 is now juiced at -135, while the over is at +105.
Most Wagered On Props
- Ahmad Gardner as the first cornerback picked
- Aidan Hutchinson to go second overall or later
- Kenny Pickett to be the first quarterback selected
- Garrett Wilson as the first wide receiver drafted
- Ahmad Gardner to be selected fifth or better
The second-most bet on prop came after prognosticators declared earlier this week that Georgia edge rusher Travon Walker was making waves with the Jaguars for the No. 1 overall pick.
Hutchinson had been the betting favorite to go first, and was as high as the -300 favorite earlier this month.
Now, the Michigan edge rusher is +225 to No. 1. And he's -300 to go second overall or higher.
In a corresponding move, Hutchinson is now the -200 favorite to go No. 2 overall to the Lions.
Walker is the -225 favorite to go No. 1 after having been +200 as recently as last week.
Meanwhile, Ohio State wide receiver Garrett Wilson to be the first wide receiver drafted at -115 is the fourth-most wagered on prop. His over/under at 9.5 (-115 each) is also the highest among wide receivers.
Alabama wide receiver Jameson Williams is right behind Wilson with an over/under of 11.5. Williams has +200 odds to be the first WR picked.
