For three months, Aidan Hutchinson has ruled the roost as the betting favorite to be the top pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. It made sense. Not only was he coming off a dominant season in which he recorded 14 sacks, propelled Michigan to the College Football Playoff, and finished second in Heisman Trophy voting — he also posted tremendous workout numbers at the Combine to prove he can sustain that breakout in the NFL.
But with three days to go before the first round kicks off in Las Vegas, the odds have shifted away from the former Wolverine and toward a lineman from the team that ended Hutchinson’s dream 2021 season. Georgia’s Travon Walker, currently at -150 odds, is the new betting favorite to be the first player selected in the 2022 Draft.
It’s a move that’s been building since February. Walker struggled to stand out on a loaded Bulldog roster, but his six sacks led the team’s defensive linemen. At 6-foot-5 and 272 pounds, he has the size and strength to win inside or along the edge. He also dusted off a 4.51-second 40-yard dash time that highlights the physics-bending play speed he’s capable of at the next level. Here he is showcasing that athleticism to chase down a wideout from 20 yards away and potentially save a touchdown in the national title game.
Tremendous effort by DL Travon Walker #44. If he doesn’t make this play, it might be a TD and Alabama has the lead going into halftime.
275-pounders shouldn’t be able to move like #44. 1st round talent, 1st round effort. pic.twitter.com/R8mRX7xJNs
— Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) January 11, 2022
That leaves the Jaguars with a difficult decision to make. Would they be better off pairing Hutchinson or Walker with Josh Allen to create one of the AFC’s top young pass rushing bookends? Hutchinson had the better overall 2021 season and created the room for teammate David Ojabo (11 sacks) to feast. He also, amazingly, tested better overall in Indianapolis than Walker did.
Athleticism scores for the 2022 EDGE class are set.@UMichFootball's Aidan Hutchinson solidified his draft status by posting an "elite" athleticism score (93), driven by a 6.73-second 3-cone, the fastest time by any DL over 6-foot-5 at the combine since 2003.#NextGenScores pic.twitter.com/eqVFqM7cKX
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) March 6, 2022
But Walker is a blue chip recruit who may have a lower floor but also a higher ceiling. Whatever rumbles have escaped from Jacksonville’s camp have swung betting markets in the former Bulldog’s favor. We’ll have to wait and see whether that’s prescient or just an effective pre-draft smokescreen to potentially drum up trade interest for the Jaguars.
