With front offices throwing absurd big money contracts at wide receivers this past offseason, it’s become quite clear just how important the position is in this day and age of the NFL. As such, I’m thinking a healthy amount of pass catchers will be going off the board in the first round of 2022 NFL Draft betting. When I touted the over of 5.5 wide receivers going off the board in the first round last week, the vig at online sportsbooks attached to the high side of the impost clocked in at an eye-opening -180. Fast forward a week and it now stands at an alarming -280! I hope you locked you locked that wager in when suggested. Current drafty position odds relay the idea that the first wide receiver coming off the board will be either Ohio State’s Garrett Wilson or USC’s Drake London with both players’ draft position clocking in at 10.5. I personally believe the former is the better choice, and the recent odds movement dictates as such. No joke, another 60 cents was added to the vig on the under of Wilson’s draft position prop as I wrote this article. Come draft day, it wouldn’t shock me if the Buckeyes premiere pass catcher made a mockery of the impost regardless!
NFL Odds at BookMaker.eu
Garrett Wilson Draft Position
Over 10.5 ( +156 )
Under 10.5 ( -198 )
Though this year’s draft stock is loaded with premiere players along both the offensive and defensive lines, as well as in the secondary, there’s still a good amount of wide receivers that I feel get selected in the first round. As it stands, those booking the bets currently have the amount of wide receivers taken through the first 32 picks checking in at 5.5 with sickeningly-high juice currently attached to the over. The most popular candidates to go in the first round include Garrett Wilson, Drake London, Jameson Williams, Chris Olave, Treylon Burks, Jahan Dotson, and potentially Christian Watson or Skyy Moore; should teams really reach with the last two. Of that bunch, Wilson is the premiere pass catcher of them all!
Through three seasons in Columbus, Wilson would go on to haul in 143 passes, turn them into 2,213 yards and score 23 touchdowns. A bulk of his damage was made in his final campaign when he dwarfed previous season outputs by hauling in 70 receptions for 12 tuddies and surpassed the 1,000+ yard plateau for the first time in his career. He likely would’ve had even more impressive counting stats had OSU’s offense not also been forced to feed running mate Chris Olave. There seriously isn’t anything Wilson isn’t good at with him arguably possessing the most skill and ability in the WR draft class. With that the case, I foresee pass catching needy teams inquiring about his services early and often.
In putting the top-10 draft order under the microscope, I’ve identified two teams with a desperate need to bolster their pass catching arsenal for the foreseeable future. The first is the New York Jets who might have something cooking on the offensive side of the ball with the trio of QB Zach Wilson, RB Michael Carter, and WR Elijah Moore. Though Corey Davis is still on the roster, is upper management confident they can get a full 17-game season from the oft-injured veteran? I think not! So why not draft his replacement in Wilson and have the offense set up for success for the better part of the next decade? Should they elect to go defense or offensive line with the No. 4 pick, they’ll still have the No. 10 to look to the other side of the ball if need be. Should Wilson still be on the board, it’d be a no-brainer selection in my book!
The other team is the Atlanta Falcons. While Arthur Smith’s squad needs help up and down the roster on both sides of the ball, its wide receiver corps was decimated this past offseason with Russell Gage signing with a division rival and Calvin Ridley suspended for the 2022-23 season due to getting caught putting in a number of losing parlay wagers. Opposing defenses were able to bottle up stud tight end Kyle Pitts last season, yet the former Florida Gator was able to put forth an exemplary rookie campaign. What do you think would happen if another speedster with fantastic ball skills and route running was added to the offensive makeup? Even with Marcus Mariota calling the shots!
All things considered, it wouldn’t shock me if Wilson was snagged with the No. 4 pick or as low as the No. 10. Either scenario allows us to cash in on his draft position prop come draft day.
NFL Draft Wager: Under 10.5
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