University of Georgia star Travon Walker favorite to be No. 1 pick in the 2022 NFL Draft

Without a must-have quarterback in this year’s NFL Draft, and the Jacksonville Jaguars back in the No. 1 spot after drafting Clemson QB in the same spot last year, the room for mobility at the top of this weekend’s draft is tremendous. 

Case in point, the rise of Georgia linebacker Travon Walker, who wasn’t even in serious consideration to be the NFL Draft No. 1 pick last week, has skyrocketed past Michigan pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson to be the prohibitive favorite as first overall pick on Thursday night in Las Vegas. 

How big of a push did Walker make? According to BetMGM Sportsbook, Walker opened at +3000 and now sits at –160, edging out Hutchinson, who opened at +100 and is now +135.

Oregon’s Kayvon Thibodeaux — the favorite to go No. 1 according to ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr at the start of the college season — now isn’t even in the top 5, dropping from odds of +450 to +2500 and making Thibodeaux potentially a great value bet.  

Why the rise for Walker? The conventional wisdom says it was his performance in the combine where he posted a 4.51 in the 40, a 35.5-inch vertical leap and a 10-foot-3 on the broad jump. 

Here’s the rest of BetMGM’s Draft Insights from Monday morning April 25:

BetMGM Insights: NFL Draft Props – 1st Overall Pick 

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