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David Purdum
Travis Hunter‘s odds to be the No. 1 selection in the NFL draft were on the move Wednesday, after a Tennessee Titans executive said the team would not pass up a “generational talent” with the first pick.
Hunter, a Heisman Trophy-winning two-way star out of Colorado, began Wednesday at 15-1 to be the first pick at sportsbooks. His odds moved to +150 at ESPN BET and he became the second-favorite after Titans president of football operations Chad Brinker’s comments to the media.
“We won’t pass on a generational talent with the first pick in the NFL draft,” Brinker told reporters on Wednesday. “We won’t do that.”
Miami quarterback Cam Ward remains the betting favorite to be the top pick, but on Wednesday, he went from an odds-on favorite (-180) to nearly a toss-up (-105), as a flurry of bets came in on Hunter at multiple sportsbooks.
“We have seen significant betting on Hunter since the comments made yesterday by Titans executives,” Christian Cipollini, trading manager for BetMGM, said in a news release.
Titans general manager Mike Borgonzi told reporters that trading out of the first spot is also an option for the franchise. But bettors were undeterred and backed Hunter.
More bets were placed on ESPN BET’s No. 1 pick market on Wednesday than any other day since the sportsbook put up the odds last fall. The sportsbook said approximately 62% of the bets placed on the No. 1 pick odds since Wednesday morning have been on Hunter, more than any other player.
The betting market on the NFL draft is notoriously volatile, and, with odds often moving quickly based on news and mock drafts, sportsbooks typically keep wagering limits low, especially early in the year. Cipollini of BetMGM said the odds movement on Hunter shows how unique the draft betting market really is.
“Odds and action will change based off just a few words,” he said.