USC Quarterback Caleb Williams Is the Odds-On Favorite to Go First in 2024 NFL Draft

The Trojans’ Heisman Trophy winner is the favorite to win the award again and he has the best odds to go No. 1 in the draft next year.

Mere hours after the Panthers selected Bryce Young first in the 2023 NFL draft, betting odds are already available for the No. 1 pick come 2024 and there’s already an early favorite.

USC quarterback Caleb Williams, who won the Heisman Trophy last season and is the favorite to do so again this fall, is the odds-on favorite to hear his name called first at the draft in Detroit a year from now. At -550, Williams is well ahead of North Carolina signal-caller Drake Maye, who has the second-best odds at +600.

There’s already been plenty of discussion about the depth and talent of the 2024 quarterback class. In the futures markets, Williams and Maye have significantly better draft odds than their counterparts at the position, which includes Arkansas’ K.J. Jefferson (+4000), Texas’ Quinn Ewers (+5000), Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. (+5000), South Carolina’s Spencer Rattle (+6000), Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders (+6000) and LSU’s Jayden Daniels (+6000).

Gary A. Vasquez/USA TODAY Sports

Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. has the third-best odds to go first overall at +2000. The son of an NFL legend, Harrison shined as a sophomore with the Buckeyes, but no receiver has gone No. 1 in the draft since Keyshawn Johnson was selected by the Jets in 1996.

Offensive tackles Olumuyiwa Fashanu from Penn State and Joe Alt from Notre Dame are tied for the next-best odds at +2500. The last tackle to be taken first was Eric Fisher, who the Chiefs took in 2013. In the 10 years since, seven quarterbacks and three defensive ends have been the top pick.

There’s very little value in wagering on such a massive favorite with the 2024 draft still so far away. Just remember how volatile the odds for the 2023 draft were. There was a time when C.J. Stroud was a strong favorite to go No. 1 overall and the odds for Will Levis to go top five were overwhelming and he fell out of the first round entirely.

Williams appears to be poised for another strong season with the Trojans, which would position him well to be the first player off the board, but a lot can change in a year — or even just a day — as the last few volatile draft cycles have shown.

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