The USC and Ohio State playmakers are expected to be the first wide receivers off the board during the NFL Draft in April.
Betting on the NFL Draft
The 87th NFL Draft will take over the Las Vegas strip on April 28th and sports bettors will not have any issues finding markets to invest in. Sportsbooks are beginning to list hundreds of player prop betting markets. Bettors can find bets ranging from how many players from each position will be drafted, which player will be drafted first at their respective position, and the over/under of individual players' overall draft number.
Let’s take a deeper look at some of the more popular betting markets for the 2022 NFL wide receiver class.
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Wide Receiver Draft Odds
After six wide receivers were selected in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft, five wideouts were chosen within the first 32 picks in 2021. Ja’Marr Chase came off the board at No. 5 overall and made an immediate impact for the Cincinnati Bengals. Following Chase was Jaylen Waddle to the Miami Dolphins at No. 6, DeVonta Smith to the Eagles at No. 10, Kadarius Toney to the Giants at No. 20 and Rashod Bateman to the Ravens at No. 27.
In this year’s draft, the oddsmakers at SI Sportsbook have set the over/under betting projection at 5.5 wide receivers to hear their name called in the first round with the ‘over’ moderately juiced at odds of -150. To simplify this market, if bettors believe that more than 5.5 of the immensely talented wideouts will hear their name in round one, they will need to risk $150 dollars to win $100.
There are four players strongly being rumored to be drafted in the first round of the 2022 draft: USC’s Drake London, Ohio State’s duo of Garret Wilson and Chris Olave and Alabama’s Jameson Williams. The wildcards in this market are Arkansas' Treylon Burks and Penn State’s Jahan Dotson.
Currently, we see two clear front runners in London (+125) and Wilson (+125) to come off the board first in the wide receiver betting market at SI Sportsbook.
FIRST WIDE RECEIVER SELECTED IN 2022 NFL DRAFT
Drake London, WR, USC (+125)
The former USC star enters the NFL Draft with some health issues. London suffered a right ankle fracture, but all indications point to him being ready to go by the start of training camp. In just eight games, the 6’5” wideout hauled in 88 receptions, 1,084 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. Drake is a big target that wide receiver needy clubs like the Jets, Falcons and Commanders (all of which pick in the top half of the first round) have been heavily linked to. After seeing the recovery and production of Jaylen Waddle coming off a similar injury last season, NFL clubs are less reluctant to invest high draft capital.
Garrett Wilson, WR, Ohio State (+125)
Wilson is possibly the best wide receiver in this year’s draft class. His ability to take the top off the back end of a defense has NFL teams enamored with his potential at the next level. The junior wideout shined in Columbus in 2021 grabbing 70 receptions for 1,058 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns. The New York Jets, who are in desperate need of a true No. 1 wideout after missing out on Tyreek Hill, could grab the former Buckeye at pick No. 4 or No. 10.
Jameson Williams, WR, Alabama (+850)
Williams was just the latest wide receiver to dominate the collegiate landscape playing for Nick Saban at Alabama. However, the productive wideout who led the Crimson Tide in receiving yards (1,572) and touchdowns (15), suffered a torn ACL in the National Championship game. Despite the big-time production and athleticism, Williams has fallen out of the top ten, as all indications are he will likely begin the NFL season on the PUP list. Keep an eye on the Kansas City Chiefs in the middle of the first round, who are suddenly in need of offensive weapons for Patrick Mahomes.
Check the Latest Odds from SI Sportsbook
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Frankie Taddeo is a successful high-stakes fantasy football player who created the first-ever DFS program ever offered in a Las Vegas sportsbook. Frankie is SI Betting's Senior Analyst and provides his significant experience and resources in the sports betting scene. You can follow Frankie on Twitter @Frankie_Fantasy for his latest betting and fantasy insights from Las Vegas.
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