Odds released for first overall pick in 2024 NFL Draft

Caleb Williams still is the oddsmakers choice to be the first player off the board in the NFL Draft. But there are others in the conversation.

Check that, in the betting conversation. Williams, the former Heisman winner from USC, is in Indianapolis this week for the NFL Scouting Combine, which features the top 300 or so draft prospects.

DraftKings Sportsbook established odds for the top NFL Draft pick, and there are more names than just Williams. Plus, you need to factor this in. The Chicago Bears own the first pick of the NFL Draft, but there is no guarantee that the team will stay at No. 1.

Caleb Williams, QB, USC (−1000)

Williams is not doing much in Indy. He’s not working out, nor is he running any drills. He isn’t talking to that many teams.

Basically, Williams is playing hard to get. And because he is such an overwhelming favorite for No. 1 of the NFL Draft, teams will wait for his private pro day.

Drake Maye, QB, North Carolina (+600)

You probably could make the case for Maye going No. 1 if for some reason, Williams slips out of favor. At 6-4, 230, he’s got the big body the league covets.

Maye, like Williams, is not working out for the NFL draft scouts in Indy. But given his draft prominence, he can do that.

Jayden Daniels, QB, LSU (+800)

Daniels might be a better bet to go No. 2 because there seems to be some movement for the Heisman winner to surpass Maye. But there is some scenario that suggests he can topple Williams for the top spot.

Maybe he’s the best playmaker of the quarterback group. Like Williams and Maye, he is not working out at the combine, but is around to talk to teams.

Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Ohio State (+1200)

So maybe the Bears decide to keep their lofty NFL Draft spot. And they also keep their current quarterback Justin Fields. With these caveats, Chicago goes to Harrison the ex-Buckeyes star.

There are some NFL Draft boards that list Harrison as the best player available. His best bet is staying as the best receiver.

J.J. McCarthy, QB, Michigan (+3000)

McCarthy led his Wolverines to the national championship in early January. And he knows how to run a pro-style offense. Some team could fall in love with him and move heaven and earth to land him at No. 1.

What probably happens is McCarthy clinches a draft spot in the top eight.

Michael Penix Jr., QB, Washington (+5000)

In the NFL world, the draft is all about the quarterbacks. Who are we to suggest any other position? And so it is with Penix, the rare sixth-year college player.

There could be as many as six quarterbacks selected in the first round. Penix, before the combine starts, likely is the sixth best.

Bo Nix, QB, Oregon (+8000)

See above about six quarterbacks possibly going in the first round. That would tie an NFL draft record.

Nix is either the fifth or sixth on the list, depending on what draft guru you trust the most. He is a borderline first-rounder, so he is a definitive long shot for the top spot.

Joe Alt, OL, Notre Dame (+10000)

Finally, we have a prospect who is not a skill guy. There seems to be a consensus that Alt is the top left tackle.

Keep in mind that the last time an offensive lineman went No. 1 was in 2013. That’s when the Chiefs selected Eric Fisher of Central Michigan.

Jared Verse, EDGE, Florida State (+10000)

Let’s hear it for the defense! We finally have someone on the other side of the ball to consider for the most elite of NFL Draft picks.

Will it be Verse, the guy who rushes the quarterback to beat a quarterback? Probably not. Most mocks list him just outside the top 10.

Dallas Turner, LB, Alabama (+10000)

So if a defender can sneak in at No. 1, will it be Verse or Turner, the Crimson Tide star?

Turner notched 10 sacks last season, so he can play the run and pass. But the last time a linebacker was No. 1 was in 1988. Aundray Bruce, the Auburn sensation, went to the Falcons with the top pick.

Laiatu Latu, OLB, UCLA (+10000)

Hey, we have another defender. Here is a reason to pump up Latu. No one can rush the quarterback like he can.

But scouts might still have concerns about a neck issue that threatened to crash his career three years ago.

Olu Fashanu, OL, Penn State (+10000)

If Alt isn’t the top OL prospect in the NFL Draft, then it’s Fashanu, who also may be the best athlete. He’ll garner looks because he did not allow a sack in his last 365 snaps.

But, consider that it has been 11 years since the last offensive lineman went No. 1. So, Fashanu seems a better bet for top 10.

Best of rest of contenders for NFL Draft No. 1

Kool-Aid McKinstry, CB, Alabama (+20000)
Jeremiah Trotter Jr., LB, Clemson (+20000)
JC Latham, OL, Alabama (+20000)
Brock Bowers, TE, Georgia (+20000)
Malik Nabers, WR, LSU (+25000)
Javon Bullard, S, Georgia (+30000)
Blake Corum, RB, Michigan (+30000)
Spencer Rattler, QB, South Carolina (+30000)

The NFL Draft is set for April 25-27. Detroit is the host city.