Round 1 of the 2022 NFL Draft will get underway tonight from Las Vegas, Nevada, and there are plenty of potential bets to keep an eye on as the draft unfolds.
There’s a lot of chatter as we approach the first round tonight that we could be in store for a crazy night, which means plenty of trades and surprise selections.
With that in mind, there should be some value we can generate as we take a deeper look into where some of these players are expected to go.
Below you can see some of the best value and bets with odds generated from the FanDuel Sportsbook.
Number One Overall Pick
Travon Walker out of Georgia is the odds on favorite to go first overall to the Jacksonville Jaguars at -450, and there’s been plenty of smoke about that over the last couple of weeks. That may indeed be exactly what transpires, but what if it doesn’t happen? You would have to think that Aidan Hutchinson at +500 or Ikem Ekwonu at +450, are both worth thinking about if you believe this has been a smokescreen the entire time.
Number Two Overall Pick
If we’re to believe that Walker will go number one to the Jaguars, and as of right now, we have no reason to believe that won’t be the case, there’s a consensus that the Detroit Lions will keep Hutchinson at home where he played college ball in Michigan, and take the defensive end with the second pick. Hutchinson is currently a -175 favorite to go second overall, but others in consideration here are Kayvon Thibodeaux at +125, or Walker if he doesn’t go first at +1200.
To be a Top 5 Pick
Besides the three heavy favorites to go in the top five in Hutchinson at -4000, Walker at -1600, and Thibodeaux at -800, there are two potential value plays here to consider if you can correctly pick who the other two selections will be.
The next best odds to go in the top five belong to Ekwonu, who boasts odds of -210 to be selected in that range. There’s certainly a lot of buzz surrounding the O-linemen to go in the top five, but you may want to look toward Derek Stingley Jr. for value in this range at +145, as there’s been plenty of noise that multiple teams actually prefer him to Ahmad Gardner as the top corner in this class.
To be a Top 10 Pick
Now there are six strong favorites to be selected in the top ten, which include Gardner and Thibodeaux at -1000, along with Charles Cross, Jermaine Johnson, and Stingley Jr. at -350, with Garrett Wilson checking in at -250.
The buzz is certainly there that Alabama wideout Jameson Williams could be the top wide receiver off the board and that could come in the top ten at +150, which is a solid number.
There also may be some value if you think a quarterback sneaks into the top ten to potentially Carolina or if a team decides to trade up for one. Malik Willis at +150 and Kenny Pickett at +250 are the two best bets for that to occur.
You can look at the history, as there have always been some question marks about taking a safety in the top ten, and that’s no different for Notre Dame’s Kyle Hamilton. Hamilton is +125 to go in the top ten and there’s definite value there in that number.
To be a Top 32 Pick
There are two clear outliers here that have first-round talent grades but either dealt with injuries this offseason or are coming off a big injury suffered during the 2021 college season.
Those two names are George Pickens, a wide receiver out of Georgia, and David Ojabo, an edge rusher from Michigan. Both of these players have the potential to be taken in Round 1 tonight and even if there are question marks about their health, teams may look at their talent level and pull the trigger anyway. Pickens is currently listed at +125 to go in Round 1 tonight, while Ojabo is sitting at +175.
