The 2020 NFL Draft is now in the books, and it was a rough one for many of the New Jersey gamblers who invested some money in the trio of nearby franchises.
Most of the wagers made on the New York Giants surrounded their fourth pick overall. Clemson linebacker Isaiah Simmons was the favorite to go with that selection, while Iowa’s Tristan Wirfs and Alabama’s Jedrick Wills were also well liked. Although the Giants did address a big need by taking a tackle with their first-round pick, they surprised many when they called up 10/1 outsider Andrew Thomas from Georgia.
That outcome only drew 5% of the betting handle at FanDuel, with the trio of Simmons, Wirfs and Wills making up 80% of the market. Wills, who wound up at the Cleveland Browns with the 10th pick, was PointsBet’s -115 favorite to end up at MetLife Stadium. Simmons was taken by the Arizona Cardinals with the eighth pick, while the Tampa Bay Buccaneers traded up a spot to take Wirfs with the 13th pick. Simmons was at +225 to go in the top five and Wirfs was at +300.
Another tackle in Mekhi Becton of Louisville received 4% of the betting interest at both FanDuel and DraftKings at 7/1 to go to the Giants, but he was taken by the New York Jets with the 11th pick. Many experts had the Jets taking a wide receiver, especially with Oklahoma’s CeeDee Lamb and Alabama’s Jerry Jeudy still on the board. Jeudy was taken 15th by the Denver Broncos, while Lamb went at 17th to the Dallas Cowboys.
Lamb was also a strong candidate to go to the Philadelphia Eagles with the 21st pick, as were LSU’s Justin Jefferson and Alabama’s Henry Ruggs III. Ruggs III was the first receiver off the board, going to the Las Vegas Raiders with the 12th pick, and Jefferson was still available with the 21st pick. However, Philly surprised everyone by opting for TCU receiver Jalen Reagor. Jefferson went one pick later to the Minnesota Vikings.
DraftKings ran a market on which position the Eagles would look to bolster with their first-round pick. Some 75% of the handle was on wide receiver, so the bookie lost out on that one.
The market for the first wide receiver drafted was the fourth-most popular wager at FanDuel. The third-most popular bet was the exact order of the first three picks, which followed expectations with the Cincinnati Bengals selecting LSU quarterback and Ohio native Joe Burrow, the Washington Redskins taking Ohio State defensive end Chase Young, and the Detroit Lions going for Ohio State cornerback Jeff Okudah.
The most popular wager at New Jersey sportsbooks was the market on where Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa would end up. Almost two-thirds of the betting handle at FanDuel was on Tagovailoa going outside the top five, but the Miami Dolphins didn’t get the memo and took him with the fifth pick.