The long-awaited NFL Draft will be showcased starting on Thursday, April 28. It will be the most notable football event until preseason begins. And of course, there will be betting opportunities for fans. Here are some cool props to look into.
Pick The Top Five
For this prop you are able to bet on a specific player to be drafted at each of the top 5 draft slots, so if you think you have a good grasp on who will go where, then these could be good bets to make. There are also people who make mock drafts based on information they are hearing within league circles. Those could be used to inform your picks.
Went back to look at some Travon Walker tape.
Man, the National Championship was a damn war.
– Walker (44) & Jalen Carter (88) body four Bama linemen.
– Brian Robinson (4) delivers a blow as a pass blocker.
– Bryce Young (9) hangs tough in the pocket. pic.twitter.com/koh6LpCs8n
— Christian Goeckel (@goeckelespn) April 25, 2022
Travon Walker just recently overtook Aiden Hutchinson as the favorite to be selected first overall at -162. Given that this is considered a weak quarterback class, the top of the draft is much harder to predict than normal. But that also means there could be increased value in making bets on each of the top five picks this year.
Top Five and Top Ten Picks
There are certain props for players to go in the top five or top ten picks. The top prospects like Walker, Ikem Ekwonu, and Evan Neal only have odds for top five picks, as they are seen as locks to go in the top ten. Others like Ahmad Gardner and Malik Willis have odds for both the top five and the top ten.
Charles Cross (LT) using his quickness and length to recover pic.twitter.com/8CX4q5rZF6
— NFL Prospect Clips (@NflProspectClip) April 23, 2022
Placing a bet on someone to go in the top ten could be a nice way to hedge if you are not fully confident in that player going in the top five. Someone like Charles Cross could be a good player to target for this bet. There are many teams in need of offensive linemen in the top ten and if Ekwonu and Neal go early, it would be surprising if Cross does not as well.
Draft Position Over/Under
For the well-known prospects, there are bets that can be made relating to where they will be taken. For example, Walker’s over/under is set at 3.5 with the odd for the over at +400 and the under at -550. Other players will have a higher number, like wide receiver Garrett Wilson who is set at 9.5 with the over at -130 and the under at +100.
Three wide receivers went in the top 10 last year, so the under is intriguing for Wilson. But given that Drake London is another receiver that could go ahead of Wilson, it is a risky play. A safer bet would be over 11.5 for Jameson Williams. Given that a lot of teams picking high have needs in the trenches, and Wilson and London could both go ahead of Williams due to his ACL injury in the National Championship Game, the over could be a nice play here.
Position Group Over/Unders
This bet is based on the number of players selected in the first round at a given position. They are available for offense and defense as well as positions within those groups. Keep in mind that there are 32 picks in the first round and each team has different needs when making this bet. Looking into what the perceived strengths of the draft class is can be a good way to inform yourself on these types of bets as well.
Under 7.5 offensive linemen selected in the first round is one of the most interesting bets in this category. This is a good draft for offensive linemen and many will go early, but the over requires basically every prospect that is borderline to not fall into the second. Neal, Ekwonu, Cross, and Trevor Penning will all go in the first, but even if Tyler Linderbaum, Zion Johnson, and Kenyon Green all go in the first round, one more player will need to sneak in.
First Player Drafted By Position
This bet is as simple as it sounds. You choose a specific player that you think will be the first picked at their given position. For example, Willis is the favorite to be the first quarterback selected at -140 while the odds for Kenny Pickett are at +150.
Kenny Pickett's 42 TDs last season were an ACC record 🎯pic.twitter.com/CUwyWVggn3
— PFF Draft (@PFF_College) March 19, 2022
Given that Pickett is an underdog to Willis in this category, he could be a good value play. Especially when you look at the Carolina Panthers at sixth overall. The Panthers have been connected to Pickett throughout the draft process and even head coach Matt Rhule recruited the quarterback when he was coaching at Temple, so there is an established relationship there. It would be a shock if any of the top five teams pick a quarterback and all of the tea leaves indicate that if the Panthers are going quarterback in their first pick, they will go with Pickett.
Picture Credit: Twin Design
