Less than 24 hours after Bryce Young became the first pick in the NFL Draft, less than 24 hours after C.J. Stroud was picked second, less than 24 hours after Anthony Richardson was the fourth pick, less than 24 hours after poor Will Levis didnβt hear his name called β¦
Will Levis during his presser before Kentuckyβs Pro Day π³
Levis was shown on TV in the green room 37 times throughout the first round.
That was 29 times more than anyone else.
You have to feel for the Kentucky QB. pic.twitter.com/UL6QsESZbs
— NFL Rookie Watch (@NFLRookieWatxh) April 28, 2023
β¦ DraftKings has posted odds for the 2024 NFL Draft and, yes, another quarterback sits atop the sportsbookβs board. With 363 days to go, the clock has started, and USC signal-caller — and reigning Heisman winner — Caleb Williams is the heavy favorite to be the first player to have his name called next spring.
Oh, DraftKings, you wicked temptress.
βWeβre typically the first book up with markets,β a DraftKings spokesperson told Sports Handle. βLike the NFL Draft, we were first up with spreads and totals for the NBA playoffs, next yearβs odds to make the Final Four and Frozen Four.β
A lot can happen in the next 363 days, but Williams is, at present, the clear choice as the overall No. 1. Many scouts have compared him to Patrick Mahomes, while others have said heβs the best prospect since Andrew Luck.
In short, his current odds of -550 might represent the best chance to get in.Β
Multiple NFL scouts and coaches reportedly believe Caleb Williams is βmilesβ ahead of any QB in this yearβs NFL Draft.
Many scouts believe Williams is the βclosestβ a prospect has been to Patrick Mahomes since Mahomes was drafted.
Many coaches and evaluators believe Williams⦠pic.twitter.com/wmTc4ad9fh
— NFL Rookie Watch (@NFLRookieWatxh) April 26, 2023
Caleb Williams is -550 to be the No. 1 pick next year and you might as well take those odds now cause I doubt theyβre going down.
— Ryan McCrystal (@Ryan_McCrystal) April 28, 2023
Of course, a year is a long time to wait to cash in on a — cough, cough, ahem, cough — βsure thing,β but an 18% ROI year-over-year would result in serious consideration for a C-suite office on Wall Street, so there you have it.
Maybe Maye?
But then again β¦
“I donβt think thereβs any way you can lay that much juice a year out,β said Anthony Amico, a draft analyst for Establish The Run. βWilliams is obviously the top prospect right now, but so many things can happen in a year. It would be no action for me on that market right now.β
All right, fine. Maybe itβs worth taking a stab at the second name on the odds board. How about Drake Maye, quarterback from the University of North Carolina, who’s sitting at +600?
Alright Caleb Williams or Drake Maye it is π
— Ted Nguyen (@FB_FilmAnalysis) April 28, 2023
βMaye is not as much of a βsure thingβ as Williams is, in my opinion,β Amico said. βIf I absolutely had to make a wager, it would be on a QB like Quinn Ewers at 50/1 rising up the ranks to crack the top tier.β
Oh boy. Yes. Ewers, the University of Texas signal caller, a 6-foot-3-inch dual threat quarterback, one of the first amateur athletes to lock down a NIL deal, and once the possessor of an objectively awesome mullet.
Texas QB Quinn Ewers has official brought the mullet back π€
(πΈ: @josephcook89) pic.twitter.com/SSzjPR9Oer
— PFF College (@PFF_College) April 15, 2022
Texas QB Quinn Ewers has shaved the mullet and beard pic.twitter.com/1I3q18A4bi
— Anwar Richardson (@AnwarRichardson) February 9, 2023
Marvin, Marvin, Marvin
But Ewers, despite his hair status (grow it back!), is still very much a longshot at those +5000 odds.
Perhaps a team might be interested in a legacy player? Marvin Harrison Jr., the Ohio State wideout, is third on the board at +2000.
Granted, it will be 28 years since a wide receiver went first overall (Keyshawn Johnson in 1996 to the Jets), but Harrison is head and shoulders — kind of literally — above the rest of his draft class. Heβs 6-foot-4 and coming off a sophomore season in which he hauled in 77 passes for 1,263 yards and 14 scores.
And he blew scouts away at the Ohio State pro day earlier this year. He is β¦ very good.Β
Is it so far-fetched for a non-QB-needy team to end up with the first pick and grab Harrison? Well, probably, but still, +2000 sure is lovely looking.
In the meantime, the NFL still has to finish up its 2023 draft. Somebody take Levis, for crying all night. I feel bad for that kid, even with the mayo and coffee thing.
No team wants to draft a player that puts mayo in his coffee. Will Levis did this to himself. pic.twitter.com/ldcHUO8Oo3
— WG (@NvictusManeo) April 28, 2023
