NFL Draft: Just 4% Of Bettors Predicted Packers Would Take Love

The first 25 picks of Thursday’s opening round of the NFL Draft were, by most standards, a bit uneventful.

For the first time since 2015, there were no trades in the top 10, and we didn’t have any players freefalling, technical difficulties or teams moving up to reach.

That was until the Miami Dolphins traded the 26th overall pick to the Green Bay Packers for 30th overall and a fourth-round selection.

Many mock drafts assumed that if the Packers were moving up, it would be to get a weapon for future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers to throw to, or to strengthen their defense.

But, with the 26th selection in the 2020 NFL Draft, the Green Bay Packers didn’t choose to help Rodgers, they chose to draft his future replacement in former Utah State quarterback Jordan Love.

The move was the first, and maybe the only, true shock of the night. According to DraftKings, the Colts came into Thursday with the shortest odds to land Love, at +300.

There's been big news everywhere you turn in the world of Football this week, so make sure to stay up to date on how the Super Bowl odds are affected - we provide comparison from all the major sportsbooks. 

Just how much of a surprise was it that Love ended up in the Frozen Tundra? Only 4% of bets and 2% of the handle were on the Packers (+800) taking Love. Even the Steelers, who were +1600 to draft the former Utah State signal caller, had a higher percent of the handle at 3%.

Most of the public assumed Love would land in either Miami, Las Vegas or New England.

Miami, which came into the night needing to address its QB situation, made up 12 % of bets and 28% of the money, Las Vegas made up 19% of the bets and 25% of the money, and 18% of the bets and 13% of the handle were on Bill Belichick and the Patriots taking Love.

The move is reminiscent of when the Packers drafted Rodgers 24th overall in 2005 despite having future Hall of Famer Brett Favre.

That move led to years of speculation and a media circus surrounding what the Packers planned to do with Rodgers and when they expected to move on from Favre, before he eventually left in 2008.

Obviously, Rodgers turned out to be one of the best quarterbacks in the world once he got his shot, but I’m sure the Packers fans are wondering what the team plans to do with two starting caliber quarterbacks and a bunch of other holes still on the roster.