Welcome new readers! Tonight's parlay is Travon Walker first overall and Kenny Picket Over 12.5. More info below on a chance to win $100 and an OT apparel giveaway 👇

NFL Draft Preview

In the midst of one the craziest NFL off-seasons we’ve ever seen, who else is pumped for a draft that promises to be just as unpredictable? 🤓

Superstars at every position from all across the league will be suiting up in new digs this coming season (it still feels weird seeing Russ in a Bronco jersey), and tonight in Vegas, teams will have the opportunity to add even more new talent 📋

• Just how high-end that talent will be at the next level, however, remains to be seen. Although there’s no way of knowing for sure until the players take the field, the general consensus among league personnel is that this year’s draft class is on the weaker side

• Regardless of that notion, there are stars in every draft. But with a lack of surefire talent at the top, especially at the quarterback position, teams may be less inclined to trade up

It’s rare to see so many question marks regarding team intentions ahead of the draft, and that lack of clarity is just one of many wrinkles surrounding tonight’s festivities 👇

• Last year’s draft had five QBs go within the first 15 picks, but this year there’s a chance we don’t see any go within that range. In the last 20 years, there’s only been one draft in which a QB didn’t go top-5

• Similarly, Alabama dominated the first round last year with six selections, matching an NFL record, but this year many experts have as few as two Crimson Tide players going in the first

• Kenneth Walker and Breece Hall both have a shot, but its looking likely this will be the first draft since 2014 without a running back selection in the opening round 

Then again, all it takes is one team to go against the grain and turn the draft on its head. If this NFL offseason has taught us anything, its to expect the unexpected 😏

Jags On The Clock 

To say last year didn’t go as planned for the Jacksonville Jaguars would be an understatement. Now, for the second straight year they’re on the clock with the first overall pick and the chance to add a difference-maker, but who is GM Trent Baalke targeting? Let’s look at the short-list of contenders 👇

📍 Travon Walker (Edge, Georgia): -220

Walker’s rise up draft boards this spring has been truly remarkable. The edge rusher from Georgia wasn't even listed as an option on many books when lines for the first overall pick dropped, and even as late as March lucky bettors could’ve snagged him at +2800. Now, he’s the odds-on favorite

• Where there’s smoke, there’s fire. Walker’s unprecedented accession has some substance behind it, with some trusted reports that Baalke is locked in

📍 Aiden Hutchinson (Edge, Michigan): +160

The betting favorite to go first overall for most of the predraft process, Hutchinson was only recently leapfrogged by Walker, but remains very much in play for the top pick

• Rumors are swirling that the Heisman finalist is the preference of owner Shad Kahn. But if the Jags opt for Walker’s upside over Hutchinson's track record, could we see the Michigan native land in his home state with the Lions at two?

📍 Ikem Ekwonu (Offensive Tackle, NC State): +800

A rough rookie season aside, the Jags believe they landed their franchise QB in Trevor Lawrence, so it only makes sense to protect him. In this year’s class, there’s no better man for the job than Ekwonu

• A longshot to go first, don’t expect the NC State standout to last long either way. He’s -200 to be the first O-lineman on the board with a pick line of O/U 3.5

Looking At Signal Callers

As mentioned previously, QBs may have to wait a little longer than usual to hear their name called tonight. There’s no Lawrence, Burrow, or Murray sitting atop draft boards like in years past — instead, it’s a true mystery when the first QB will go off the board, and who exactly it will be 🤔

📍 Malik Willis (QB, Liberty)

• Pick line: O/U 9.5

• Odds to be first QB taken: -140

The Liberty product has all the upside in the world, but just as many question marks. Is the gamble worthy of a top-10 selection?

• The Panthers at six could be the first realistic landing spot, but the Seahawks at nine seems like a more likely fit, given the parallels between Willis and the franchise legend, Russell Wilson, he’d be replacing

📍 Kenny Pickett (QB, Pittsburgh)

• Pick odds: O/U 12.5

• Odds to be first QB taken: +150

It appears to be a two-horse race for the first QB off the board, with Pickett taking on the role of a higher-floor, lower-ceiling alternative to Willis

• The Steelers at 20 are a popular mock landing spot, should Pickett fall that far, which makes perfect sense, given that he played college ball in the same stadium

• Plus, he's the only one to pull-off the fake slide and ultimately change a rule

📍  Desmond Ridder (QB, Cincinnati)

• Pick odds: O/U 28.5

• Odds to be first QB taken: +1000

The dark horse, Ridder had some first overall pick steam before the college football season, and after another standout year he’s been pegged as a late-first round target

• However, don’t be shocked if a QB-needy team decides they prefer the former Bearcat to the previously mentioned options

You could make the case for both Ole Miss' Matt Corall (O/U 33.5) and UNC's Sam Howell as late-first round picks as well, so while we likely won't see QBs go early, there's a chance they go often 🤷🏻‍♂️

For My Parlay Gurus

My stance on betting the NFL Draft is simple — when in doubt, trust the experts. There's a reason why Walker has emerged as a late favorite to go first, and I'm banking on that coming to fruition, as well as Pickett falling a bit further than he'd like. Check it out 👇

• Travon Walker first overall pick: -220

• Kenny Picket over 12.5 picks: -175

$100 on this bet would win you $129 — if we hit, make sure you email [email protected] for a chance to win up to $100*. Many will enter, only some will win 😉

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