One week before the NFL draft, two pass-rushers have distanced themselves from other prospects and emerged as the betting favorites to be the No. 1 overall pick at U.S. sportsbooks: Michigan’s Aidan Hutchinson and Georgia’s Travon Walker.
Hutchinson has been the consensus favorite for the past two months and is currently listed at -170 to go No. 1 overall at Caesars Sportsbook, a partner with ESPN.
Walker has come from off the radar to narrow the gap, though. He was not even listed as a betting option when Caesars first posted odds on the No. 1 pick. He started as a 30-1 long shot at BetMGM but now has the second-best odds at +140 to be selected first. More money has been bet on Walker to be the first overall pick than has been wagered on any other player at BetMGM.
The Jacksonville Jaguars own the No. 1 pick.
NC State offensive tackle Ikem Ekwonu and Alabama offensive tackle Evan Neal are each 14-1 to be the first pick at Caesars. Neal was the favorite to go No. 1 for a two-week stretch in late February and early March, and Ekwonu could be found atop the odds at some sportsbooks earlier in the year. Hutchinson, though, has been the consensus favorite over the last six weeks and became an odds-on favorite in mid-April.
“It seems this year that there’s been more volatility, but I guess that happens when there’s not a clear-cut No. 1 pick like there was last year with Trevor Lawrence,” Adam Pullen, assistant director of trading for Caesars Sportsbook, said.
Liberty’s Malik Willis, at -130, is the favorite to be the first quarterback selected, followed by Pittsburgh’s Kenny Pickett at +130.
The NFL draft begins April 28 in Las Vegas.