NFL Draft Update: Patriots Move Up to No. 2

With the Carolina Panthers losing yet again despite a coaching change, the Chicago Bears strengthened their position when it comes to securing the top pick since the Bears own Carolina’s first-round selection.

Now that Michigan, Washington, Texas, and Alabama have been selected to play in the College Football Playoff, it is worth keeping an eye out for players on teams no longer in contention for the national championship choosing not to play in bowl games.

When looking at the top players by position, Williams, receiver Marvin Harrison (+1800), offensive lineman Olumuyiwa Fashanu (+3500), edge rushers Dallas Turner (+4000), J.T. Tuimoloau (+4000) and Jared Verse (+4000), interior defensive lineman Michael Hall Jr. (+4500), cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry (+4500), tight end Brock Bowers (+8000) and linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr. (+8000) are the front-runners to go No. 1 overall at their respective spots, according to the NFL Draft odds.

The 2024 NFL Draft is set for April 25-27 in Detroit.

USC’s Williams Not Going Bowling

It is usually a pretty good sign that a player is ready to embark on a pro career.

When reigning Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams decided not to play for USC in the Holiday Bowl, it seemed pretty clear that Williams would be available for the 2024 NFL Draft.

Williams continues to have the best odds to be the No. 1 overall pick according to our sportsbook. He is priced at -650 to be both the first player and the first quarterback selected in the NFL Draft.

With the Chicago Bears having the top pick, that has led to speculation that the Bears could move on from current quarterback Justin Fields and turn the offense over to Williams.

Patriots Moving on Up

The games might be tough to watch for a fan base that grew accustomed to success during Tom Brady’s time as the quarterback of the New England Patriots.

However, the Patriots might have taken a major step toward landing their quarterback of the future.

Bailey Zappe threw for just 141 yards in a 6-0 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. With the Arizona Cardinals defeating Pittsburgh, New England moved up from third to second in the 2024 NFL Draft order.

Patriots move to No. 2 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft order heading into Week 14. @chad_reuter provides an updated look at Round 1, along with needs for every teamhttps://t.co/hy56BUge7a pic.twitter.com/IamlqtgCDI

— Around The NFL (@AroundTheNFL) December 5, 2023

The feeling is that after USC’s Caleb Williams and North Carolina’s Drake Maye, there is a drop-off when it comes to the other quarterback prospects. The Patriots don’t seem interested in moving forward with Mac Jones and Zappe as the options at quarterback. Maye is +450 to be the No. 1 overall pick and +350 to be the top QB selected.

If things stay like this, the Patriots will have a chance to pick one of the top quarterback prospects without needing to trade up.

Who’s No. 3?

Quarterbacks typically get drafted higher than where they land on the draft boards as teams are willing to take a risk to land their franchise quarterback.

There have been mock drafts that have the New York Giants and Tampa Bay Buccaneers picking quarterbacks in the top 10 but it remains to be seen if that happens.

However, after Williams and Maye go early in the draft, there could be a wait for the next quarterback to go off the board.

Quinn Ewers of Texas was listed by the Las Vegas NFL odds as the best option to be the third quarterback off the board, but all signs point toward Ewers coming back to Texas for the 2024 college football season, shifting his odds.

LSU’s Jayden Daniels, the current front-runner to win the Heisman Trophy, has moved to third among quarterbacks at +2000.

Receivers Marvin Harrison Jr. of Ohio State, Keon Coleman of Florida State, and Malik Nabers of LSU join offensive linemen Olu Fashanu of Penn State, Joe Alt of Notre Dame, Kingsley Suamataia of Brigham Young and J.C. Latham of Alabama as likely top-10 picks. There is a chance that Georgia tight end Brock Bowers could also land in the top 10.

Latham is the only one of those top prospects who is on a team selected for the College Football Playoffs.

The top defensive player to be selected could be UCLA defensive end Laiatu Latu.

Take A Look At These Other 2 NFL Draft Special Articles

• NFL Draft Update: Patriots, Cardinals Boost Odds for No. 1 Pick
• NFL Draft Update: Odds Firming for Bear Market

A Look at the Top 10

Here is the current draft order as the Arizona Cardinals and Washington Commanders are the final two teams to have their bye weeks.

By the time the Green Bay Packers-New York Giants and Tennessee Titans-Miami Dolphins games wrap up on Monday night, each team will have four games remaining.

Here is a look at the order of the top 10 picks.

1. Chicago Bears (from Carolina 1-11)
2. New England Patriots (2-10)
3. Arizona Cardinals (3-10)
4. Washington Commanders (4-9)
5. Chicago Bears (4-8)
6. New York Jets (4-8)
7. New York Giants (4-8)
8. Tennessee Titans (4-8)
9. New Orleans Saints (5-7)
10. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-7)

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