NFL draft predictions and betting tips: Sauce can add extra spice to Vegas show

Free American football tips, best bets and analysis for the 2022 NFL draft in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Where to watch

NFL Draft Day 1
Sky Sports Main Event, 1am Friday

NFL Draft Day 2
Sky Sports Main Event, 12am Saturday

Best bet

Ahmad Gardner draft position - under 5.5
2pts 4-5 bet365

Under 6.5 wide receivers drafted in round one
2pt 10-11 bet365

NFL Draft preview

NFL franchises are preparing to roll the dice on their futures in Las Vegas, the host city for this year’s edition of the draft.

Trying to predict who will make the successful transition from college football to the professional ranks is a big gamble at the best of times but with no standout quarterbacks and a perceived lack of top-level talent heading for the Strip, figuring out the class of 2022 is proving a real head-scratcher for pundits and punters alike.

There’s often a clear consensus over who will go number one overall with quarterbacks Trevor Lawrence and Joe Burrow having been short-priced favourites to be first off the board in the last two years.

A quarterback has been selected first overall in six of the last seven years but this is shaping up to be a draft of substance with the betting for the number one pick dominated by offensive and defensive linemen.

North Carolina State’s Ikem Ekwonu and Michigan ace Aidan Hutchinson have both held favouristim in the build-up but it’s Georgia’s Travon Walker who has jumped to the head of the market and could be heading to Jacksonville with the Jaguars picking first overall for the second year running.

The constant movement in the number one market makes it a stay away but one player that looks destined to go early in round one on Thursday is Cincinnati Bearcats' cornerback Ahmad 'Sauce' Gardner.

With the NFL now a pass-heavy league, having a strong cornerback is increasingly important and Gardner arrives after an exemplary college career. In three years as a Bearcat, he didn’t give up a single touchdown and has the physical traits to succeed as a professional.

The Houston Texans and both New York teams, the Jets and Giants, all have picks in the top five and Gardner has been mock drafted to one of the trio on multiple occasions in the build-up to round one.

Challenging Gardner next season will be a huge crop of rookie wide receivers with the class of 2022 possessing plenty of strength in depth at the position.

Bookmakers make the over-under total wide receivers taken in the first round line 6.5 but it seems likely that teams will prioritise other positions in the hope they can find quality receivers in the later rounds.

In the last 12 drafts, no more than six wide receivers have been taken in the first round and the spending frenzy on the position during free agency should have lessened the need for teams to draft a wideout on day one.

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