Betting odds drastically shift for No. 2 overall pick in NFL Draft

With less than a week out from the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, the expectation remains that the Washington Commanders will select a quarterback with the No. 2 overall pick.

Which quarterback will come off the board is the question, though it appears likely to be down between two names: LSU’s Jayden Daniels and North Carolina’s Drake Maye. Per the latest odds from FanDuel Sportsbook, Daniels is the betting favorite with -140 odds. Maye, meanwhile, is -125 to go No. 3 overall, a pick occupied by the New England Patriots.

As of Thursday morning, Daniels was -330 to be the No. 2 overall pick. The significant odds shift in just a 24-hour span becomes more interesting when you consider Adam Schefter’s report on ESPN‘s “Get Up” Friday.

One week after saying he thinks Commanders fans can “go ahead and get those Jayden Daniels jerseys,” Schefter said that Washington’s meeting with Daniels “didn’t seem to go over too well” with his agent, Ron Butler.

Daniels, 23, is coming off an incredibly successful collegiate career. He spent three seasons at Arizona State before transferring to LSU to play under head coach Brian Kelly. Daniels took his game to another level in Baton Rouge, throwing for 6,725 yards, 57 touchdowns and seven interceptions on 70.2% passing across two seasons. He added 2,019 yards and 21 touchdowns on the ground.

ESPN NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. had Daniels going to the Commanders at No. 2 overall in the NFL Draft in his latest mock draft.

“Everybody is trying to complicate this and throw names out like Drake Maye or J.J. McCarthy into the mix it. I get that, okay,” Kiper said. “[Everybody] thought Baker Mayfield was going number one [in 2018] overall. I said Josh Allen. So, you write [the names] in pencil this time of year, but Jayden Daniels, you’re talking about a guy who is ready to play.”

Quarterbacks expected to be the story of the 2024 NFL Draft

Kiper further discussed why Daniels is a good fit for the Commanders.

“He can escape, he can create like Caleb Williams, and the job he did [last season], balancing being aggressive and not turning the ball over was phenomenal. Fumbles, interceptions, he didn’t do that,” Kiper said. “You go from a fourth rounder [in Kiper’s projections a year ago] to the number two pick overall. [Meanwhile], the Washington Commanders are making a lot of moves. … When you talk about infrastructure, we hope it works out better for where we are right now with Caleb and Jayden than it did for Bryce Young.

“The infrastructure that we thought was in Carolina was actually in Houston. So sometimes, the best laid plans … But right now, it looks like he’s going to the right spot. Kliff Kingsbury, the offensive coordinator, Jayden Daniels a real good fit here with the Washington Commanders.”