The first overall pick this season has been subject to more debate than usual. While in most years there is an elite quarterback or edge-rushing prospect that stands high above the rest of the pack during the predraft process, that is not the case for the 2022 NFL draft.
There are a few different players in the running for the Jaguars, who hold the top pick for the second-straight season. Until recently, the betting favorite for the No. 1 selection on Tipico Sportsbook was Oregon edge rusher, Kayvon Thibodeaux.
But after a dominant season from Michigan’s Aidan Hutchinson that landed him on the Heisman stage in New York, he’s the new favorite from Tipico to go with the first pick with a money line at +155. It’s still neck-and-neck between Hutchinson and Thibodeaux, though, as the latter sits at +190.
Bettors seem to think that the Jags will go with an edge rusher, but offensive tackle Evan Neal from Alabama is not far behind the leaders, sitting with a money line of +220 to go at No. 1. Fellow offensive tackle Ikem Ekwonu from North Carolina State, a fast riser on draft boards, trails a bit at +480.
After that, there’s a massive dropoff in likelihood with Pittsburgh quarterback Kenny Pickett and LSU cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. tied with the next best odds at +4000.
If there’s one takeaway from this, it’s the fact that there’s still a lot of uncertainty regarding how the Jaguars will use this pick. Though Hutchinson is trending, oddsmakers seem to think it’s still a fairly open race to be the first player off the board in April’s draft.