2022 NFL Draft odds: Breece Hall (Iowa State) favored as first running back picked but not in first round
Oddsmakers don't believe a running back will be chosen in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
loading...
loading...
The first round of the 2022 NFL Draft is tonight from Las Vegas and Caesars Sportsbook oddsmakers don't expect a running back to be chosen in Round 1 for the first time in eight years. Iowa State's Breece Hall is favored to be the first tailback off the board at -275 but he has an Over/Under draft position of just 38.5. The Over/Under for first-round running backs is 0.5, with the Under a -240 favorite.
The last time a running back wasn't chosen in Round 1 was in 2014 when the Titans made the University of Washington's Bishop Sankey the first tailback off the board at No. 54 overall. The last time we came close to no first-round back was in 2020 when Kansas City took LSU's Clyde Edwards-Helaire with the final pick of Round 1. Last year, both Najee Harris (Pittsburgh) and Travis Etienne (Jacksonville) were first-round selections. Harris had a terrific year, but Etienne got hurt and didn't play in the regular season.
Hall rushed for 1,472 yards and 20 scores last season for the Cyclones in being named first-team All-American for the second straight year and also Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year for a second season in a row. He joined Ricky Williams of Texas, Baker Mayfield of Oklahoma and Jason White of Oklahoma as the only players to win Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year multiple times.
Hall was a touchdown machine with a total of 56 rushing/receiving in his three seasons. He rushed for a touchdown in his final 24 games, breaking the FBS all-time record for consecutive games with a rushing touchdown. Over the past three seasons, Hall's 3,941 yards rushing, 50 rush TDs and 226 tackles avoided led all FBS players.
NFL.com gives Hall a grade of 6.38, which equates to "eventually will be a plus starter" and gives him an NFL comp of Matt Forte. As for the Over/Under 38.5 draft position, the Jets currently hold the No. 38 pick and took Michael Carter in the fourth round last year out of North Carolina. He had a solid rookie season. The Bears pick 39th and they don't need a running back.
Should Hall go in Round 1, he'd be the first Cyclone selected in the first round since George Amundson in 1973. Some mocks have Hall picked by Buffalo at No. 25.
Michigan State's Kenneth Walker III is a +225 second favorite to be the first tailback off the board but doesn't have an individual Over/Under draft pick prop.
So who wins the Kentucky Derby? And which enormous long shot is a must-back? Join SportsLine now to see the top picks for the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, May 7, all from the expert who nailed last year's winner on Derby Day.