Caleb Williams Regains Foothold as Heavy Favorite to Be First Pick of NFL Draft

Caleb Williams didn’t have a picture-perfect final season with USC, which led to some slippage in his odds to be the No. 1 overall pick in the draft.

But with his college career now wrapped, the star quarterback prospect has returned to the heavy favorite to be the first player selected.

Williams’ odds had fallen to -300 last week, still strong but a little less so than before the year. However, Williams has seen his odds climb in recent days, as he now sits at -500 to be the first player picked in the NFL draft.

Here is a look at the odds for the top-5 candidates, according to FanDuel on December 7th, 2024:

• Caleb Williams -500
• Drake Maye +400
• Marvin Harrison, Jr. +2500
• Jayden Daniels +3500
• J.J. McCarthy +3500

Maye sat at +250 a week ago but has fallen further off the pace and is widely projected to be the No. 2 overall pick in the draft. Daniels was beginning to make some noise, boosting from 75-to-1 up to +1600 last week, but has fallen back down the odds board.

The Chicago Bears are likely to finish with the No. 1 overall selection via the Carolina Panthers. They could pick Williams themselves or trade the pick to a suitor if they choose to stick with Justin Fields.

The New England Patriots are the other team in the mix to pick first, as they currently sit one game back in the standings. The Cardinals have the third-worst record but are longshots to claim the No. 1 overall pick.

There are five quarterbacks in the top-six of the odds to be the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, but it is Williams who has distanced himself from the rest of the pack. 

There is a bet which centers on Williams against the field to be the first selection. Williams can be had at those -500 odds, while The Field is listed at +330.

Here is the list of longshots to be the first pick in the draft, according to FanDuel.

• Michael Penix +5000
• Joe Alt +5000
• Olu Fashanu +5000
• Laiatu Latu +8000
• Jared Verse +8000
• Brock Bowers +8000
• Bo Nix +10000
• J.C. Latham +10000
• Dallas Turner +10000
• Kool-Aid McKinstry +10000
• Carson Beck +10000