2024 NFL Draft odds: Can Drake Maye challenge Caleb Williams for No. 1 pick?

The college football regular season is over, Michigan is the new champion and bettors are looking ahead to the 2024 NFL Draft. 

And with that, much of the chatter will be about which player is the best bet to go No. 1 overall. 

The first name that comes to mind for many bettors is Caleb Williams.

Williams and the USC Trojans stumbled to close the season, losing five of their last six after beginning the season 6-0. Despite the disappointing year, the quarterback remained the odds-on favorite to hear his name called first on draft night. 

And his odds keep getting shorter.

Back on Oct. 23, Williams sat at -310. At the end the calendar year, his odds to go No. 1 were -500. Now those odds have shortened even more to -650. 

Drake Maye is the second man on the board behind Williams. He and the North Carolina Tar Heels suffered a similar fate, losing four of their last six after starting off 6-0. 

Maye, who has spent most of the year second on the oddsboard, is at +500. Mind you, Maye’s odds were +270 on Oct. 23 and +400 on Dec. 29. 

Let’s dive into the latest odds from FanDuel Sportsbook.

ODDS TO BE THE FIRST PICK IN THE 2024 NFL DRAFT*

Caleb Williams, USC: -650 (bet $10 to win $11.54 total)
Drake Maye, North Carolina: +500 (bet $10 to win $60 total)
Marvin Harrison Jr., Ohio State: +1500 (bet $10 to win $160 total)
Jayden Daniels, LSU: +3400 (bet $10 to win $350 total)
Michael Penix Jr., Washington: +6000 (bet $10 to win $610 total)

There’s also a prop wager available of Williams vs. every other draft-eligible player to be the top pick:

Williams: -650 (bet $10 to win $11.54 total)
Field: +450 (bet $10 to win $55 total)

*odds as of 1/10/2024

On the year, Williams threw for 3,633 yards, 30 touchdowns and just five interceptions. As a sophomore, he tallied 4,537 passing yards, 45 TDs and five INTs. He won the Heisman at the end of that season.

Maye threw for 4,321 yards, 38 scores and seven INTs in 2022, and this season, he registered 3,608 passing yards, 24 touchdowns and nine interceptions.

Williams has yet to declare for the draft, but Maye has. 

FOX Sports NFL Draft analyst Rob Rang said in a scouting report that Maye has a top-five grade and is nearly on equal footing with Williams.

“A legitimate contender to be the first player selected in 2024, Maye checks all the boxes of a future franchise signal-caller with his prototypical combination of size (6-foot-4, 230 pounds), arm, athleticism, leadership skills and production against quality competition,” Rang wrote. 

But it’s Williams that FOX Sports betting analyst Jason McIntyre has going first in his mock draft.

“I’m keeping Caleb in the top spot for now,” McIntyre noted. “The QB analysis over the next four months will be thrilling, frustrating and informative. To be clear, I think the Bears should absolutely draft a QB and trade Justin Fields.”

Who do you think will be the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft? Follow FOX Sports for the latest college football and NFL news.

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