2024 NFL Draft odds: Will Caleb Williams or another QB go No. 1?

Last updated: 2023/08/26 at 4:42 PM

BigP Published August 26, 2023

It’s never too early to look at next year’s NFL Draft.

Typically, teams at the top of the draft were at the bottom of the standings due to a lack of quality quarterback play.

Case in point: Three of the first four picks in this year’s NFL Draft, including the top two, were quarterbacks. In 2022, a QB wasn’t selected until 20th, but in 2021, QBs were selected with the first three picks, and in 2020, three of the first six selections were signal-callers.

Will the top of the draft be filled with quarterbacks again this upcoming draft? As usual, the odds tell a story, so if you look at the lines at DraftKings Sportsbook, the answer is a resounding yes.

Reigning Heisman Trophy winner and USC QB Caleb Williams is the clear-cut favorite to go No. 1 at -500. In second is North Carolina QB Drake Maye at +500, and the sixth-best odds to go No. 1 belong to Texas QB Quinn Ewers.

Following them are Arkansas’s K.J. Jefferson (+4000), Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy (+5000), Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. (+5000), Oregon’s Bo Nix (+5000), Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders (+5000), LSU’s Jayden Daniels (+6000) and South Carolina’s Spencer Rattler (+6000).

In other words, there will be a lot of signal-callers to choose from at the top of the draft.

However, on Thursday’s edition of “The Herd,” Colin Cowherd addressed a report that Williams, shockingly, could come back to school after next season, after comments he made to ESPN’s Pete Thamel this week.

“That’s for sure now going to be an in-the-moment decision at the end of the year,” said Williams regarding the 2024 NFL Draft. “It’s my third year, and the dream and goal was to go three-and-out. Being around these guys and in college and enjoying it, we’ll have to see at the end of this year.”

But Cowherd thinks it’s far-fetched that Williams would pass on being the top pick in the draft.

“It’s over, and every fan knows it. He’s gonna be a top-five pick, probably No. 1 — overwhelmingly No. 1 if he doesn’t get hurt. There’s no story.”

Follow along on FOX Sports for the latest news on the rest of the college football world!