The season and the Super Bowl have come and gone, and we loved every moment. In this edition of Garden State Gridiron, we’ll recap our favorite bets and moments from the Super Bowl and give an early preview of the NFL Draft.
Super Bowl LV
Tom Brady cemented his place as the most accomplished quarterback of all time with his 7th Super Bowl victory, more than any individual NFL franchise and the first to win it in their home stadium. The 31-9 upset victory over the Kansas City Chiefs featured a dominant performance by the Tampa Bay defense which left Patrick Mahomes running for his life. Let’s take a look at some of our favorite bets that hit and others that had people’s palms sweating!
Bets That Hit!
- Tom Brady Passing Touchdowns (2.5) - OVER! (3 TDs)
- Patrick Mahomes Rushing Yards (23.5 yds) - OVER! (33 yards)
- Leonard Fournette Rushing Yards (44.5 yards) - OVER! (89 yards)
- Clyde Edward-Helaire Rushing Yards (34.5 yards) - OVER! (64 yards)
- Travis Kelce Receptions & Receiving Yards (8.5/100.5) - OVER! (10/133)
- Antonio Brown Receptions (3.5) - OVER! (5 receptions, 22 yards)
- Longest Field Goal (47.5 yards) - OVER! (52 yards)
- Tom Brady 1st Quarter Passing TD – With 0:37 left in the 1st quarter, Brady threw the only Q1 touchdown pass of his Super Bowl career.
Close, But No Cigar!
- Fat Man TD – 1 endzone target, 0 receptions
- Rob Gronkowski Receiving Yards (Exactly 69) - 67 receiving yards
- Patrick Mahomes Completions (28.5) - 26 completions
- Darrel Williams Receiving Yards (7.5) - 7 targets, 2 receptions, 10 yards
- Demarcus Robinson Receptions (1.5) - 2 targets, 1 reception, 11 yards
- Leonard Fournette Receptions (4.5) - 4 targets, 4 receptions, 46 yards
- Tyreek Hill Receptions (7.5) - 10 targets, 7 receptions, 73 yards
NFL Draft
NFL Draft Season is upon us as 32 teams and countless fans on Twitter are shifting their focus to April 29th when the Jacksonville Jaguars are expected to get things started. Trevor Lawrence is the favorite to be selected by an extremely large margin (-5000). His potential is believed to be a major motivation to Urban Meyer’s return to coaching and nobody will be surprised if he heads to Jacksonville on draft night.
The draft really starts at #2. Last week, Tipico Sportsbook became the first major sportsbook to offer odds on the #2 overall pick. Quarterbacks Justin Fields and Zach Wilson are the top contenders with offensive lineman Penei Sewell close behind them.Â
The New York Jets currently hold the #2 overall pick in the draft and they have several paths to take. As noted in previous editions of this article, it is unlikely that the Jets view Sam Darnold as their long-term answer at the quarterback position, but they still have him under contract control for 2021 and possibly 2022 if they pick up the team option on his agreement.Â
If the Jets hold onto Darnold, they could look to build the team around him, either by adding talent on the offensive line or bringing in one of the dynamic wide receivers near the top of the class: Heisman winner DeVonta Smith, LSU’s Ja’Marr Chase, or Alabama’s Jaylen Waddle.
League Insiders have projected that this offseason could see the most year-over-year turnover at the quarterback position and the Jets could easily be one of those teams. If they are able to trade Sam Darnold, they will likely have their choice of Justin Fields or Zach Wilson. Fields was one of the most efficient passers in college football in 2020 while Wilson thrived on plays outside of structure. The Jets’ preference in skillset will likely break a very close race between the prospects.
The Jets could also choose to trade the pick and load up on more draft assets this year and beyond. With several teams interested in making a change at the quarterback position, the Jets will be fielding calls about potentially moving back. Anything can happen at #2 and whoever predicts it correctly will earn some cash and some nice bragging rights as well.
