There’s a New Betting Favorite for No. 1 NFL Draft Pick

Just days before the NFL Draft, a new betting favorite has emerged for the top overall selection.

Georgia defensive end Travon Walker has gone from a long shot to the projected No. 1 pick by the Jaguars when the draft begins Thursday in Las Vegas.

Some sportsbooks listed Walker as high as +3000 to go No. 1 when initial odds were posted, but he has now moved from +200 to -150 at Caesar’s Sportsbook. The former odds favorite, Michigan’s Aidan Hutchinson, fell to a second-best +160 from -170.

Walker started all 15 games for the national champion Bulldogs, recording 37 stops — 7.5 for loss — with six sacks and two pass breakups. The 6-5, 272-pounder’s stock shot up at the draft combine, where he blazed to a 4.51 40-yard dash.

Barring a trade, Jacksonville will make the No. 1 pick for the second consecutive year. In 2021, the Jaguars selected quarterback Trevor Lawrence, signing him to a four-year, $36.8 million rookie contract.

The No. 1 pick is projected to receive a contract whose total value is worth $41.5 million under the NFL’s rookie slotting system.