Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud have been the betting favorites to go No. 1 in the draft for months, and that hasn’t changed.
But while the Alabama and Ohio State quarterbacks lead the list of candidates, another signal-caller is gaining momentum as we head into pre-draft evaluations.
Strong-armed Kentucky quarterback Will Levis has seen his odds of going No. 1 improve in recent weeks. Levis was a 10-to-1 longshot on January 4th but now has +550 odds of being the first pick, according to DraftKings on January 25.
Here is a look at the top-5 candidates to be the first pick in the draft:
- Bryce Young -135
- C.J. Stroud +250
- Will Levis +550
- Jalen Carter +550
- Will Anderson +750
Levis was behind the two elite defensive prospects a few weeks ago, but has surpassed Anderson, the Alabama edge rusher, and is now tied with Carter, the defensive tackle from Georgia.
Levis was not as productive as Young or Stroud this season but has tantalizing physical skills, including a big arm that is expected to impress NFL evaluators.
While Stroud was generally seen as the second-best quarterback in the draft, multiple mock drafts by respected industry analysts have placed Levis above him.
CBS Sports’ Chris Trapasso went a step further in a recent mock, putting Levis at No. 1 and sending him to the Carolina Panthers, who would trade with the Bears in this hypothetical scenario. Trapasso has Stroud going No. 2 to the Texans and Young No. 4 to the Colts.
The draft expert told me why he has Levis leapfrogging the other two quarterback prospects in his mock.
“Levis checks all the physical boxes of being a No. 1 overall pick, and that’s almost always what needs to happen before a prospect is selected first in the draft,” Trapasso said. “He has a rocket-launcher arm, noticeable athleticism, and prototypical franchise QB size. He’s slightly raw, but traits often trump refinement early in the draft, especially at the QB spot. Running an offense designed by a Sean McVay disciple helps Levis’ cause too.”
Young has size concerns and does not have the same arm strength as Levis, which is why the Kentucky quarterback levitating to the No. 1 pick isn’t completely out of the question.
At this time in the past few years, both Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray were seen as mid-to-late first-round picks before eventually going No. 1 overall in the draft.
Edge rusher Travon Walker came out of nowhere to become the first pick in the 2022 draft, although the oddsmakers feel pretty confident that one of those five will be the top selection this year.
The rest of the candidates have longshot odds to be the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, as no one else is shorter than 100-to-1 odds.
