On Wednesday, Titans president of football operations Chad Brinker said his team “will not pass on a generational talent with the first pick in the NFL draft.” Many players interpreted this as an indication that the Titans would take Travis Hunter first overall.
Hunter, the Colorado Heisman Trophy winner who could be a once-in-a-generation star at both wide receiver and cornerback, has been the subject of a flurry of bets on who will go first overall in the 2025 draft of the NFL. At many sportsbooks, Hunter odds went from long odds in the +1,500 range to short odds in the +150 range after Brinker’s comments. Hunter is now the player with the second-shortest chance of being the No. 1 overall pick, behind Miami quarterback Cam Ward. Hunter’s teammate Shedeur Sanders, who was the favorite to go first overall for much of the year, has now fallen to third place.
“We saw big bet on Hunter since the comments made yesterday by Titans executives,” BetMGM Chief Commercial Officer Christian Cipollini said, via ESPN.
Sportsbook ESPN BET said it received more bets on the No. 1 pick on Wednesday than any other day since the 2025 NFL Draft odds were released last fall, and 62 percent of those Bets were sure Hunter would be first overall.
The change in draft odds is a reminder of how closely players follow feedback from league executives — and how valuable information about a team’s draft plans can be.
