Can you believe it? The 2022 NFL Draft is this week, running from April 28 to April 30. It’s snuck up on us after one of the wildest NFL offseason in seeming history. If you need to quickly catch up, read this! We’re giving you the top 2022 NFL Draft betting picks to make.
First Overall Draft Pick Bet
The very best online sportsbooks are seemingly all in agreement — the first overall draft pick will be a defensive lineman. The top-two betting favorites are Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson and Georgia defensive end Travon Walker. Here are the current betting odds to go number one overall:
The Jaguars hold this pick, and according to them, no one has called about trading up for it. So the question becomes, which one of the two linemen do the teams’ brass prefer?
Hutchison is certainly the “safer” pick of the two. He’s been the consensus number-one player since the last college football season started. However, Walker has risen in a fashion similar to Joe Burrow a few years ago — from nothing to the favorite. When this bet was first released by popular football betting sites, Walker wasn’t even a gambling option. That’s how much he’s risen in the draft boards. It seems every few days that pass, the Hutchinson line lengthens while Walker's shortens (who just became the betting favorite on Monday for the first time).
The decision will ultimately come down to Jacksonville general manager Trent Baalke. Based on Baalke’s track record in San Francisco, he loves players with elite physical traits, and Walker fits that bill to a tee. Walker came into the NFL Scouting Combine at 273 yards and somehow, someway, Walker ran a 4.51 in the 40-yard dash and registered a 123″ broad jump figure. Those are unreal numbers for a lineman — perhaps once-a-decade type physical gifts — and we sense Baalke will jump at that. Take Walker to go No. 1 and do it now before his odds continue to shorten.
Over/Under 3.5 Quarterbacks Picked In First Round Bet
Quarterbacks typically dominate the NFL Draft chatter. Welp, 2022 is not typical. Scouts, fans, and even bookies are negative on the 2022 QB class potential. The over/under set on how many get picked in the first round (not the whole draft) is a modest 3.5, with the under being the strong favorite:
Rather than evaluate the top QB prospects — Kenny Pickett, Malik Willis, and Desmond Ridder — let’s look at how many quarterback-needy teams there even is, teams that could use a first-rounder on a signal-caller. The way we see it, there are six teams that could or should be in the market for a QB. Those teams are Atlanta, Carolina, Detroit, New Orleans, Pittsburgh, and Seattle. Six teams (roughly 20 percent of the league) is a sizable market.
But here’s the thing: those teams don’t just have the NFL draft to fill those needs. No, there are still two starting-caliber QBs available in the trade market — Jimmy Garappolo and Baker Mayfield. If those two players are going to be moved, it almost has to be during the Draft. Mayfield for sure is a goner, while Jimmy G has an outside chance of staying in San Francisco.
One more thing worth mentioning: four of the six QB-needy teams we mentioned (Atlanta, Carolina, Detroit, and Seattle) are picking in the top-10. That matters big time. While we could see, say, the Saints take a QB with their mid-first pick (No. 19), it’s tougher to take that type of risk with a top-10 choice. And make no mistake, the middling quarterbacks in this class are risks. So yes, we’re betting the under on this one.
Over/Under 10.5 SEC Players Picked In First Round Bet
The Southeastern Conference has dominated the NFL Draft first-round landscape for seemingly forever. In fact, the SEC is likely hitting 500 players drafted in the first round all-time in 2022 (it’s currently at 491 in 86 years). Therefore, we’re intrigued by the over/under 10.5 SEC players to go in the first round bet being offered at the top sports betting sites. Right now, the over is the betting favorite:
Though, the first-round SEC number is low compared to recent years. In 2020, a record 15 SEC players went in the first 32 picks. The year after, the number was a respectable 12. So as you can see, the trend is going down.
Regardless, we’re slapping the over. If we had to put a number on how many SEC talents get chosen in the first round, we’d put it at 12 — which gives us a slight margin for error to still hit the over. Simply put, there’s an embarrassment of riches in college football’s best conference. Heck, Alabama by themselves might cover half this bet, a little less other stalwarts like Auburn, Georgia, LSU, etc.
How To Bet On 2022 NFL Draft?
The NFL Draft is loaded with betting opportunities— far beyond the three bets we covered above. If you want all the 2022 NFL Draft betting options in one sport, then head to one of the underneath bookmakers. Every line is available on these sites so hurry on and lock in your wagers before Draft time!
