The 2022 NFL Draft is anything but a sure thing — especially at the top of the draft. This draft is loaded with talent at the edge position and there are differing opinions on who are the top four edge rushers.
Just a week ago, Aiden Hutchinson was the No. 1 consensus overall pick and still is n our latest NFL Mock Draft. He was the safest choice for the Jacksonville Jaguars with what many referred to as the highest floor of the edge rushers.
Fast forward to this week and Pro Football Talk’s Peter King has stated, “expect a surprise out of the Jaguars camp” and now Travon Walker has moved into the top spot at -280 for NFL Draft odds after sitting at +2,500 a few weeks ago.
NFL Draft 2022 second overall pick odds
| Player | Odds |
|---|---|
| Aidan Hutchinson | -300 |
| Kayvon Thibodeaux | +350 |
| Jermaine Johnson | +800 |
| Travon Walker | +900 |
| Derek Stingley Jr. | +3,000 |
| Ahmad Gardner | +3,000 |
Odds courtesy of FanDuel as of April 27, 2022
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NFL Draft second overall pick prediction
- Jermaine Johnson No. 2 overall pick (+1600 at bet365)
Pick made on April 27, 2022.
Walker offers a higher ceiling but is considered more of a riskier pick, as he had just one dominant season at Georgia and finished his collegiate career with just nine sacks.
Hutchinson finished second in Heisman voting behind Bryce Young, led a strong defense at Michigan, and dominated in big games. If Jacksonville GM Trent Baalke is throwing out smoke screens and actually takes the safer pick in Hutchinson No. 1, the next pick could offer big-odd shoppers a chance to cash in.
If Hutchinson goes No. 1, that will leave the Lions with the options of edge defenders, including Walker, Kayvon Thibodeaux, or fringe favorite Jermaine Johnson.
Johnson was as high as +7,500 to go second overall but steamed heavily to +1,600 on Wednesday afternoon. It’s certainly a long shot, but there are some rumblings from respected media types that think he is a great fit in Detroit if the Jaguars take Hutchinson with the No. 1 pick.
NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlien compares Johnson to Raiders Pro Bowl DE Maxx Crosby, and it’s tough to ignore the steam. First off, Evan Silva mentioned Johnson going second overall in his Establish The Run piece he published on Tuesday.
He also liked the value on Hutchinson going No. 1 and Johnson going No. 2 for an exact order pick that now pays a whopping +4,000. The market has moved significantly on Johnson, but if he is going second, Hutchinson is likely the No. 1 pick as Detroit would likely take him if Jacksonville were to take Walker.
Backing this up was NFL analyst and producer Greg Cosell, who was on the Rich Eisen Show and said that Johnson could be the best pass rusher out of the lot.
Another Sports Illustrated Mock has Johnson at No. 2 to Detroit. Johnson’s head coach at FSU, Mike Norvell, was also on NFL NOW on Monday discussing how good of a fit he was for the Lions.
There are plenty of Johnson connections to Detroit with him having played in front of Lions head coach Dan Campbell at the Senior Bowl, where he dominated and it’s been reported that he’s already met with the Lions front office and coaching staff.
Johnson was a top collegiate recruit coming off a 12-sack season at FSU, and is a versatile defender that can play the Joker position. He ran with the linebackers at the combine and put up an impressive 9.86 RAS score which put him in the top 1.5 percentile out of LBs since 1987.
Jermaine Johnson is a LB prospect in the 2022 draft class. He scored an unofficial 9.86 RAS at the Combine out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 31 out of 2188 LB from 1987 to 2022. https://t.co/kZ1SiEpblu #RAS via @Mathbomb pic.twitter.com/ttRh2uXCg8
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) March 6, 2022
DraftKings currently has Johnson's Over/Under for draft selection at 7.5 and is paying -125 to the Under, so there is plenty of interest in him inside the Top 10, especially if teams start passing on Thibodeaux.
Taking him as a Top-7 player is likely the more probable move here as there are also plenty of connections with Johnson to the Giants (No. 5 and No. 7), but if there is any evidence of him going at No. 2 for +1,600, we’re certainly sprinkling on it and the market likes his chances.
