2022 NFL Draft Trends: Aidan Hutchinson Favored for Top Pick, Malik Willis Favored to be First QB Taken

The National Football League Draft goes Thursday, April 28 and as information changes, so too do the odds for each player at BetMGM when it comes to their draft position.

Once the NCAA season is over, there are combine and workout results to examine, plus team needs have changed based on trades and free agent moves. As those factors get considered, opinions start to settle on which player will go where and when.

It all remains uncertain. While there might be popular opinion now that Aidan Hutchinson could be the first overall pick, that could change in a moment. Thus, we are left to make educated guesses about which player fits best with each team.

Here is a look at some of the top draft prospects and how their odds have shifted at BetMGM.

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Aidan Hutchinson

The Michigan edge rusher finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting following a senior season in which he recorded 14 sacks in 14 games. 69% of Hutchinson’s tickets at BetMGM are on his draft slot being over 2.5, but 59% of the handle is on Hutchinson’s draft slot being under 2.5. The Jacksonville Jaguars and Detroit Lions, respectively, hold the top two picks in the draft and if Hutchinson goes to either team that would hit the under.

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Travon Walker

The defensive end out of Georgia had six sacks in 13 games as a junior for the national champions. While Walker’s Over/Under remains at 3.5, 57% of his tickets and 76% of the handle at BetMGM are on the under. He has the second-best odds (+140) on BetMGM to be the first overall pick.

Evan Neal

An enormous offensive tackle out of Alabama, Neal is 6-foot-7, 360 pounds and started the draft process as the favorite to get selected first overall. His Over/Under on draft slot was 1.5 but that has since moved to 4.5 as it appears less likely that a team at the top of the draft will use its first pick on Neal.   

Kayvon Thibodeaux

The pass rusher out of Oregon registered seven sacks in 10 games during the 2021 season and defenders that can pressure the quarterback are always in demand. While Thibodeaux’s Over/Under has shifted from pick 4.5 to 5.5, he is the current favorite at BetMGM to be selected second overall.

Kyle Hamilton

While the 6-foot-4, 220-pound Notre Dame safety missed nearly half of the 2021 season with a knee injury, he had three interceptions and two tackles for loss in seven games. His Over/Under started at 5.5 but has since dropped to 10.5, in no small part because 88% of the handle on Hamilton is on the over.

Ahmad Gardner

While Hamilton’s draft slot has dropped, the stock of Cincinnati cornerback Gardner appears to be on the rise, with his Over/Under number going from 7.5 to 5.5. As a junior, Gardner had three sacks and three interceptions in 13 games and then the 6-foot-2 defensive back ran a 4.41 40-yard dash, offering a high-end combination of size and speed.

Derek Stingley Jr.

The LSU cornerback was limited to just three games as a junior due to Lisfranc surgery, yet teams are enticed by the potential he showed as a freshman in 2019, when he had six interceptions and 15 passes defended in 15 games on the way to a national championship. Expectations are that a healthy Stingley would have elite speed for the position but, coming off a foot injury that does present some doubt. In any case, Stingley’s Over/Under opened at 12.5 and has since dropped to 10.5, with a whopping 98% of the handle on the under.

Malik Willis

While Liberty University is hardly the hotbed of quarterback development, Willis is a transfer from Auburn who threw 27 touchdowns and 12 interceptions while passing for 2,857 yards and rushing for 878 yards and 13 touchdowns in 13 games as a junior at Liberty. Willis is favored to be the first quarterback off the board, and his Over/Under at BetMGM is pick 10.5, with 94% of the handle on the under.

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Kenny Pickett

The top challenger to Willis to be the first quarterback drafted, the University of Pittsburgh product threw for 42 touchdowns and seven interceptions while passing for 4,319 yards as a senior. Pickett’s draft slot has remained at 12.5, but 83% of the tickets and 69% of the handle have been on the over.

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