Betting odds for the first overall selection at the 2024 NFL draft are available at legal online sportsbooks. USC QB Caleb Williams remains the betting favorite to be the first pick. North Carolina QB Drake Maye holds down the second spot in the latest odds, followed by Ohio State WR Marvin Harrison Jr. in a distant third.
As the college and pro seasons continue to play out, the lines will move in response to player performance, where the bets are going, and other news and developments. Here are the key things to know about betting on the NFL draft at legal online sportsbooks.
2024 NFL draft odds: Betting on the first overall pick
Sports betting odds are out for who will be the first overall selection at the 2024 NFL draft. Here’s a look at the players on top of the current odds board at FanDuel Sportsbook:
| Player | Position | Team | Odds |
| Caleb Williams | QB | USC | -320 |
| Drake Maye | QB | North Carolina | +250 |
| Marvin Harrison Jr. | WR | Ohio State | +2000 |
| J.J. McCarthy | QB | Michigan | +3000 |
| Olumuyiwa Fashanu | OT | Penn State | +3000 |
| Michael Penix Jr. | QB | Washington | +5000 |
| Joe Alt | OL | Notre Dame | +5000 |
| Jayden Daniels | QB | LSU | +5500 |
| Brock Bowers | TE | Georgia | +6000 |
| Jared Verse | DE | Florida State | +8000 |
| Laiatu Latu | DL | UCLA | +8000 |
| Bo Nix | QB | Oregon | +10000 |
| Shedeur Sanders | QB | Colorado | +10000 |
| J.C. Latham | OT | Alabama | +10000 |
| Dallas Turner | LB | Alabama | +10000 |
| Riley Leonard | QB | Duke | +10000 |
| Kool-Aid McKinstry | DB | Alabama | +10000 |
| Tyler Van Dyke | QB | Miami | +10000 |
| Carson Beck | QB | Georgia | +10000 |
NFL draft odds last updated: December 2023
Current favorites to go first overall in the 2024 NFL draft
There’s still a long way to go until the 2024 NFL draft, and the odds will continue to evolve as the college football season plays out. Here’s a look at the current favorites.
- QB Caleb Williams, USC (-320)
The reigning Heisman Trophy winner spent the first year of his college career at Oklahoma before transferring to play for the Trojans in 2022. For the season to date, he has thrown for 3,633 yards and has 41 total TDs. USC has a record of 7-5, dropping five of its last six after a 6-0 start.
- QB Drake Maye, North Carolina (+250)
Maye is in his second season as QB1 for the Tar Heels. He threw for 4,321 yards and 38 TDs last year. North Carolina went 9-4 last season and lost to Oregon in its bowl game. This season, Maye has thrown for 3,608 yards, 24 TDs, and nine INTs so far for the 8-4 Tar Heels.
- WR Marvin Harrison Jr., Ohio State (+2000)
Harrison was a key cog in the high-powered Buckeyes offense a season ago, hauling in 77 receptions for 1,263 yards and 14 touchdowns. This season, he has 67 catches for 1,211 yards and 14 TDs for the 11-1 Buckeyes.
How NFL draft betting works
Over the offseason and as the NFL season plays out, you can bet on who will be the first overall pick at the next draft. The goal is simple. Here’s how a bet would work if we pick one of the top favorites:
- Caleb Williams -400
- Drake Maye +600
- Quinn Ewers +1600
- Marvin Harrison Jr. +2000
If we were to bet $100 on the favorite at odds of -400, and that proved to be the right call, then we would receive back $25 in winnings. For a $100 bet on a player at +600, our profit potential would be $600.
As the season rolls along, you can expect to see an option to bet on which team will have the first overall pick in the next draft. When the event itself is drawing near, the floodgates will start to open. Here are some of the other bets you may see during that time:
- First two picks in order
- Second overall pick, third overall, etc.
- First player drafted by position
- Player to be drafted in the top five, 10, etc.
- First player or position selected by team
- Total number of players drafted by position, school or conference
- Over/under on player draft positions
Where can I bet on the NFL draft?
While sports betting is legal in a growing number of states, the rules for betting on a draft can vary. For the 2023 NFL draft, the following states allowed wagering:
- Colorado
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Kansas
- Louisiana
- Maryland
- Michigan
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- Ohio
- Oregon
- Tennessee
- West Virginia
- Washington, DC
- Wyoming
The following states allow wagering on the draft, but with restrictions:
- Arizona: Betting must be closed before the first round starts.
- Iowa: Draft betting closes 24 hours in advance of the draft.
- Massachusetts: Bets based on the entirety of the draft must happen prior to the first pick. A round-specific bet has to be in before the round starts. Pick-specific wagers have to be in before the two previous picks are announced.
- Michigan: Same as Massachusetts.
A few states where online sports betting is legal still prohibit wagering on the NFL draft:
Additional information on state-specific rules is available on our legal US sports bill tracker page.
Which team has the first pick at the 2024 NFL draft?
Barring any trades that disrupt the order, positioning at the NFL draft depends on the standings from the previous season. The team with the worst overall record picks first, followed by the second-worst team and so on. We’ll have to wait until the end of the upcoming NFL season for answers, but we can find some clues on which teams might be in the running, courtesy of the latest Super Bowl odds.
After 12 weeks of play, the 1-10 Carolina Panthers, a team that already traded its first-round pick to the Chicago Bears in advance of last year’s draft, are tied for last on the board with the 2-10 Arizona Cardinals. The Panthers parted ways with head coach Frank Reich this week following a loss to the Titans, while the Cardinals lost by double digits at home to the Rams.
Next up are the 2-9 New England Patriots, the 4-8 New York Giants, and the 4-8 Bears. The Patriots have dropped four straight, while the Giants have actually been playing well and won two in a row. The Bears picked up an upset over the Vikings last time out. We can consider the Panthers to be the current leaders in the race for the first pick at the 2024 NFL draft, which could translate into the Bears having a pair of lofty choices if the current order remains in place.
NFL first overall pick history
Over the past decade of the NFL draft, the team with the first overall pick has selected a QB seven times. Here’s the full list:
| Year | Team | Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Carolina Panthers | Bryce Young | QB | Alabama |
| 2022 | Jacksonville Jaguars | Travon Walker | DE | Georgia |
| 2021 | Jacksonville Jaguars | Trevor Lawrence | QB | Clemson |
| 2020 | Cincinnati Bengals | Joe Burrow | QB | LSU |
| 2019 | Arizona Cardinals | Kyler Murray | QB | Oklahoma |
| 2018 | Cleveland Browns | Baker Mayfield | QB | Oklahoma |
| 2017 | Cleveland Browns | Myles Garrett | DE | Texas A&M |
| 2016 | Los Angeles Rams | Jared Goff | QB | California |
| 2015 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Jameis Winston | QB | Florida State |
| 2014 | Houston Texans | Jadeveon Clowney | DE | South Carolina |
This trend also holds true on an all-time basis. Here’s the breakdown of top picks by position:
- Quarterbacks: 35, last in 2022
- Running backs: 23, last in 1995
- Defensive linemen: 16, last in 2022
- Offensive linemen: Six, last in 2013
- Wide receivers: Five, last in 1996
- Linebackers: Four, last in 1988
- Defensive backs: One, in 1956
College football can be cyclical. However, some programs have produced more top picks than others. Here are all of the schools with multiple No. 1 picks:
- Five: Georgia, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, USC
- Four: Auburn, Stanford
- Three: LSU, Ohio State, Texas
- Two: California, Miami, Michigan, Nebraska, Penn State, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia Tech
For the past decade, just one school has produced more than one first pick. Oklahoma QB Baker Mayfield went No. 1 to the Cleveland Browns in 2018, and the Arizona Cardinals took Kyler Murray as the top pick the following year.