The NFL regular season is still several months away, but draft speculation never stops.
As power rankings and projection systems begin to assess the best (and worst) teams in the league, fans of the cellar dwellers may already have a wandering eye toward the top college prospects.
USC quarterback Caleb Williams, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, has long been pegged as the likely No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 draft, and now we have the betting odds to back it up.
FanDuel has unveiled its odds to be the No. 1 pick in 2024, and Williams is the heavy favorite at -350.
In fact, there is a Williams vs. The Field wager available, as a bettor can take every other prospect available at +210 underdog odds. That’s how much faith there is in Williams being the top selection next April.
North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye has the second-best odds to be the top pick, followed by Ohio State wide receiver sensation Marvin Harrison, Jr. Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers and Penn State tackle Olu Fashanu round out the top-5.
Here are the odds for each of them, per FanDuel on May 25:
- Caleb Williams -350
- Drake Maye +450
- Marvin Harrison Jr. +2000
- Quinn Ewers +2500
- Olo Fashanu +3000
The Arizona Cardinals currently have the best odds of landing the top selection. Not only are they projected to finish with the fewest wins in the NFL, but they also hold the first-round pick of the Houston Texans, another of the league’s also-rans.
ESPN’s FPI pegs the Cardinals’ chances at 31%, with the Buccaneers, Colts and Rams next on the list.
A quarterback has gone No. 1 overall in five of the past six drafts, and some believe Williams is the best quarterback prospect since Trevor Lawrence in 2021.
There are myriad other players listed to go No. 1 overall in the 2024 draft, albeit at extreme longshot odds.
It’s not unheard of for a prospect to come out of nowhere and be the No. 1 pick, a la Kyler Murray in 2019, but it’s certainly an uphill battle with Williams and Maye getting so much early love, and with Harrison lurking as one of the best receiver prospects in recent memory.
Here are the rest of the prospects that can be wagered on to be the No. 1 overall selection in the 2024 draft at FanDuel:
- Michael Penix Jr. +4500
- Joe Alt +4500
- Dallas Turner +4500
- Jayden Daniels +5000
- Jared Verse +5000
- Riley Leonard +5000
- Kool-Aid McKinstry +5000
- J.C. Latham +5500
- Carson Back +5500
- Brock Bowers +6000
