- USC quarterback Caleb Williams is the betting favorite (-400) to be drafted first overall in the 2024 NFL Draft.
- North Carolina QB Drake Maye is a distant second behind Williams at +400 odds.
- Currently, USC has the seventh-best odds to win the College Football Playoff National Championship at BetOnline.
Following the 2023 NFL Draft, online betting sites are already looking ahead to next year’s draft in Detroit. BetOnline has just released their 2024 NFL Draft odds for the top pick and the projected No. 1 pick is no stranger to the limelight.
USC’s Caleb Williams has the top odds of going No. 1 at BetOnline. Williams is coming off a Heisman Trophy campaign with the Trojans in 2022. If he were eligible for the 2023 NFL Draft, the dynamic quarterback would have been one of, if not, the first player off the board.
It likely would have been a more difficult decision for the Carolina Panthers if Williams was available this year. Despite the media building a battle between C.J. Stroud and Bryce Young, the Panthers knew who their guy was at No.1.
Young vs Williams for the first overall pick would have been tougher on the Panthers. It would have resulted in the 2021 Heisman Trophy winner being pitted up against the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner.
If things go according to the 2024 NFL Draft odds, two Heisman quarterbacks will go No. 1 in consecutive years.
The sweepstakes for Caleb Williams in next year’s NFL draft will be unreal 🚀
(via @TheAthletic) pic.twitter.com/kPOZQScryv
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 2, 2023
Williams Owns Big Lead for No. 1 Pick In 2024 NFL Draft Odds
At this time, there is no controversy about who the public believes should be the first overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft. Williams opened as a -400 betting favorite at BetOnline.
That leaves a wide margin between Williams and the rest of the draft-eligible college football players for 2024. The next closest player is Drake Maye at +400 odds.
In other words, quarterbacks may go off the board as No. 1 and No. 2 selections in three consecutive years. It is projected to happen, at least according to the latest 2024 NFL Draft odds.
NFL Draft odds are subject to change quickly. This is especially true for a draft class that hasn’t played a snap yet. A lot can happen in one year.
Nevertheless, scouts were thoroughly impressed with what Williams accomplished this past season. In his first season at USC, after transferring from Oklahoma, Williams blossomed in Southern California.
He followed Lincoln Riley to USC after the head coach announced he was accepting a new job. Williams exploded in his first season as a full-time starter.
In 2021, he took over for an inept Spencer Rattler in his freshman campaign at Oklahoma. Rattler was benched in the Red River Rivalry, and Riley never looked back after Williams led the Sooners to a come-from-behind win over Texas.
He looked great as a freshman and even better in his sophomore season at USC.
One of the GREATEST Red River Showdown comebacks of all time ‼️
OU down 21 points… 😲
And Caleb Williams comes in to save the day.
Ran it for a 66-yard touchdown on his 1st play of the game. 🤌
Who was at this game? #boomersooner #sooners pic.twitter.com/Dk2u2pQxdG
— Boomer Sooner (@boomersoonerIO) April 3, 2023
Overall, in 2022, Williams passed for 4,537 yards, 42 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions. Additionally, the dual-threat QB ran for 382 yards and 10 touchdowns.
After the success Jalen Hurts and Patrick Mahomes have had in the NFL, teams are always going to be on the lookout for a similar player.
This Trojan might be part of the next wave of talented quarterbacks. However, USC hasn’t traditionally been a quarterback factory.
USC Struggling To Produce Elite NFL QBs
Similar to the Ohio State Buckeyes, there is cause for concern when talking about a USC quarterback going this high in the draft. Williams joined Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart as USC signal-callers to win the Heisman Trophy.
Palmer had a fine NFL career, but he was nothing more than a respectable quarterback that won’t be going to the Hall of Fame. The 15-year pro does not constitute a true bust.
However, following a Heisman collegiate career and being selected as the No. 1 pick to the Cincinnati Bengals in 2003, more was expected out of Palmer.
In addition to Leinart’s bust of a campaign, Mark Sanchez, Matt Barkley, and Sam Darnold were overrated NFL prospects in college. Is Williams going to be different from this group? Expect plenty of debating leading up to the 2024 NFL Draft.
Next year, the safest pick might be Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr. Currently, Harrison Jr. is listed with the third-best odds to be the first player selected in the 2024 NFL Draft at +1000.
10 years ago today, Mark Sanchez commits his infamous butt fumble 😭#BovadaSportsHistory
— Bovada (@BovadaOfficial) November 22, 2022
2023-24 National Championship Odds Do Not Favor Trojans
Despite Williams being favored to repeat for the Heisman Trophy and go No. 1 in the 2024 NFL Draft, USC is not expected to compete for the CFP National Championship.
According to BetOnline, USC has the seventh-best odds to win the CFP National Championship in 2024. The Georgia Bulldogs are the betting favorite to win their third straight college football championship.
Georgia is a healthy favorite at +300 odds. The Alabama Crimson Tide have the second-best odds at +550. However, USC is nowhere to be found among the top teams next season.
The Trojans have +1400 odds to win the CFP National Championship. They were on the verge of going to the College Football Playoff last season, but a 47-24 loss to the Utah Utes in the Pac-12 Championship Game dashed those hopes.
Williams had an interesting message for Utah painted on his fingernails. The profane phrase didn’t work out well for Williams, as it blew up in his face after injuring his leg and losing the game.
However, the injury and loss in the Pac-12 Championship Game weren’t enough to prevent him from capturing the Heisman. He had it wrapped up a game earlier in a Heisman-clinching performance against Notre Dame.
Can Williams become just the second player to win the Heisman twice and parlay that feat into the top pick in the 2024 NFL Draft? The odds certainly suggest so.
