Football season is upon us, and as both professional and collegiate training camps open up around the country, it's only a natural instinct of fans to begin clamoring about the next group of top-level prospects.
Although the 2023 NFL Draft is still nine months away, it's never too-early to begin thinking about which player will hear their name called first in Kansas City next April.
The odds of the No.1 pick are always in flux throughout the football season, with different NFL teams occupying the coveted top spot on the draft board -- and players' stock rising and falling as the competition heats up on the collegiate field.
Let's take a preseason look at the college football players who have the best odds to walk across the podium before their peers and shake Commissioner Roger Goodell's hand in 2023.
Who are the top prospects for the 2023 NFL Draft?
Quarterbacks Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud have generated a lot of attention since the 2022 NFL Draft which saw just one signal-caller selected in the first round (Kenny Pickett).
This year's crop of college quarterbacks present no such dearth in talent as Stroud and Young boast potential and pedigree that lines up with what fans expect from QB's going No. 1 in the draft.
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Beyond the quarterbacks, Young's Alabama teammate and edge rusher Will Anderson holds the next best odds to be selected first overall in Kansas City next April.
After Anderson, sits Stroud's left tackle at Ohio State -- Paris Johnson. Sensing a theme this college football season?
Who is the favorite to go No. 1 in the 2023 NFL Draft?
Young, the defending Heisman Trophy winner, has the best odds to go first overall in the 2023 NFL Draft. The Alabama quarterback has 2-to-1 odds -- edging out Ohio State's Stroud by a few decimal points.
Stroud, who also has a few teammates who could rise up and claim the top spot, is listed at +210 to go No. 1 in the 2023 draft.
Anderson is the next favorite at 3-to-1 odds. If Anderson does wind up going first, it would make NFL Draft history as the Alabama defensive end would become the second consecutive edge rusher to go No. 1.
Georgia's Travon Walker went first to the Jacksonville Jaguars in April 2022.
2023 NFL Draft No. 1 pick odds
Here’s where the top 25 college football prospects stand heading into the 2022 college football season, according to our partner, PointsBet:
- Bryce Young (Alabama, QB) +200
- C.J. Stroud (Ohio State, QB) +210
- Will Anderson (Alabama, EDGE) +300
- Paris Johnson (Ohio State, OT) +1100
- Tyler Van Dyke (Miami (FL), QB) +1400
- Spencer Rattler (South Carolina, QB) +1800
- Will Levis (Kentucky, QB) +2000
- Jaxon Smith-Njigba (Ohio State, WR) +2200
- Phil Jurkovec (Boston College, QB) +2500
- Bryan Bresee (Clemson, DT) +2500
- Peter Skoronski (Northwestern, OT) +2500
- Jalen Carter (Georgia, DL) +2500
- Anthony Richardson (Florida, QB) +3000
- Eli Ricks (Alabama, DB) +3300
- Jaren Hall (BYU, QB) +3300
- Nolan Smith (Georgia, LB) +4000
- Trenton Simpson (Clemson, LB) +5000
- Justin Flowe (Oregon, LB) +5000
- Hendon Hooker (Tennessee, QB) +5000
- Kedon Slovis (Pittsburgh, QB) +5000
- Kayshon Boutte (LSU, WR) +5000
- D.J. Uiagalelei (Clemson, QB) +5000
- Malik Cunningham (Louisville, QB) +6000
- Brennan Armstrong (Virginia, QB) +6000
- Josh Downs (UNC, QB) +6000
Who will go No. 1 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft?
Young and Stroud have been penciled into the top spot for several months now and quarterbacks always have the inside track to No. 1 overall but don't sleep on Smith-Njigba to make some draft history.
The last time he was on a football field, the Ohio State WR torched Utah in the Rose Bowl to the tune of 15 receptions, 347 yards, and three touchdowns.
If selected first overall, Smith-Njigba would be the first receiver to go No. 1 since Keyshawn Johnson in 1996.
Let's not forget the 2022 NFL offseason was all about top wide receivers getting paid or getting traded to new teams. Franchise covet cheap, young receivers today more than ever before.
Who would the Bears take if they land No. 1 pick?
As attractive as Smith-Njigba might be for Chicago to pair with former Ohio State Buckeye QB Justin Fields, the nightmare scenario of the Bears being at the very top of the 2023 NFL Draft indicates the team's second-year quarterback couldn't stay upright behind a porously built offensive line.
If this were to be the case, then left tackle Paris Johnson -- hey, another Ohio State guy -- begins to make a lot of sense for a new brass that wants to build through both sides of the line going forward.
Longshot predictions for 2023 NFL Draft top pick
Anthony Richardson presents the best value on the board as he plays the key position (quarterback) in the best conference in the country (SEC) and projects as a true dual-threat option for Florida. In 2021, Richardson rushed 51 times for 401 yards and three touchdowns.
He played in just seven games in his second season with the Gators so expect those rushing numbers to increase -- along with his passing stats which have also been limited since his arrival in Gainesville.
Editor's note: All odds are provided by our partner, PointsBet. PointsBet is our Official Sports Betting Partner and we may receive compensation if you place a bet on PointsBet for the first time after clicking our links.