It’s never too early for bettors to look ahead, and that’s exactly what they’re doing as they anticipate which college football player will get selected No. 1 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft.
USC quarterback Caleb Williams is the runaway favorite at several sportsbooks to go first in next year’s draft. At DraftKings Sportsbook, his odds to be selected first currently sit at -500.
But will it be the Trojan that leads the pack and gets his name called first? Or will another player, or quarterback, end up surpassing Williams?
Let’s dive into the odds.
ODDS TO BE THE FIRST PICK IN THE 2024 NFL DRAFT*
Caleb Williams: -500 (bet $10 to win $12 total)
Drake Maye: +550 (bet $10 to win $65 total)
Marvin Harrison Jr.: +1500 (bet $10 to win $160 total)
Olumuyiwa Fashanu: +2500 (bet $10 to win $260 total)
Quinn Ewers: +3000 (bet $10 to win $310 total)
Kool-Aid McKinstry: +3000 (bet $10 to win $310 total)
Michael Hall Jr.: +4000 (bet $10 to win $410 total)
Joe Alt: +4000 (bet $10 to win $410 total)
K.J. Jefferson: +4000 (bet $10 to win $410 total)
Jared Verse: +4000 (bet $10 to win $410 total)
Dallas Turner: +4000 (bet $10 to win $410 total)
Michael Penix Jr: +5000 (bet $10 to win $510 total)
J.J. McCarthy: +5000 (bet $10 to win $510 total)
Bo Nix: +5000 (bet $10 to win $510 total)
Shedeur Sanders: + 6000 (bet $10 to win $610 total)
*odds as of 7/14/2023
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Of course, the odds could always shift, but right now, the No. 1 draft position in 2024 looks like it’s Caleb’s to lose. And considering his resume, it would be hard to bet against it. Williams has been arguably the best quarterback in college football over the last two seasons.
He threw for 1,670 yards, rushed for 408 yards and scored 24 total touchdowns in games he appeared in during his freshman season at Oklahoma in 2021. Williams elevated his play even more after he followed Lincoln Riley and continued his career at USC in 2022. There, the starting QB threw for 4,537 yards and 42 touchdowns, along with 382 rushing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns. That spectacular sophomore season helped the Washington D.C. native claim the Heisman Trophy and helped SC have its best season in years.
Will the star quarterback’s No. 1 pick odds shorten even more as the draft gets closer.
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Caleb Williams runs wild for a 59-yard gain as the USC Trojans are up early on the Utah Utes.
Behind Williams is another QB that’s skyrocketing up draft boards. UNC‘s quarterback Drake Maye is the name to keep an eye on. Currently, his odds to get drafted first in 2024 sit at +550, second on the list. The rising redshirt sophomore and dual-threat quarterback has thrown for 4,321 yards, notched 698 rushing yards and has scored 45 total touchdowns.
Jason McIntyre had some thoughts about Maye in his 2024 NFL mock draft.
“The 6-foot-4, 210-pound Maye isn’t a bad consolation prize. He was tremendous as a redshirt freshman, but let’s see how he performs as a marked man,” McIntyre said.
Third on the oddsboard is Ohio State‘s Marvin Harrison Jr. At +1500, the Buckeye wide receiver has the best odds among all non-quarterbacks to go No. 1. While Harrison is just the latest star to come out of Ohio State’s wide receiver factory, he might actually be one of the program’s best. His 2022 highlight reel included 77 receptions for 1,263 yards and 14 touchdowns. And if his NFL potential is anything like dad Marvin Harrison Sr., bettors might want to give Jr.’s +1500 odds a real look.
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Other notable names on the board are Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers (+3000), Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. (+5000) and Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy (+5000). All three QBs hope to help their teams win their respective conferences with the ultimate goal of reaching the College Football Playoff (CFP).
Bettors looking for a long shot to wager on might consider Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders (+6000). The son of Buffaloes head coach Deion Primetime Sanders, Shedeur will play his first season at Colorado after transferring from Jackson State. While starting at QB for the Tigers in 2021 and 2022, Sanders passed for 3,231 and 3,732 yards, respectively.
Could Prime’s son help his squad eclipse their projected win total and make enough noise for his No. 1 draft odds to shorten?
Something else that folks getting in on this market should consider is that, as of now, the Arizona Cardinals are the early favorite at +340 to draft first in 2024. While Williams-to-AZ is not yet a lock, it certainly looks possible.
But as we know, the odds are always changing, so keep checking FOX Sports for updates.
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