2024 NFL Draft Odds: Malik Nabers Favored as Fifth Overall Pick

It is widely expected that the first four players selected in the 2024 NFL Draft will be USC QB Caleb Williams, LSU QB Jayden Daniels, North Carolina QB Drake Maye, and Ohio State WR Marvin Harrison Jr. As of Tuesday, April 23, each of those players is -180 or shorter to be taken with one of the top four picks:

• Williams to go No. 1:
• Daniels to go No. 2:
• Maye to go No. 3:
• Harrison to go No. 4:

But it’s anyone’s guess what will happen next. The No. 5 pick currently belongs to the LA Chargers.

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Several players are in the mix to be drafted fifth. The four top candidates to be Jim Harbaugh’s first draft pick as Chargers coach (assuming LA does not trade out of this spot) are LSU WR Malik Nabers, Harrison (who is a longshot given the expectation that he’s headed to Arizona), Notre Dame OT Joe Alt, and Michigan QB JJ McCarthy.

With four players with odds between 2-to-1 and 5-to-1 to go No. 5 with the draft just two days away, let’s break down the cases for Nabers, Alt, and McCarthy (while recognizing that if Harrison is still available at No. 5, he’d be a slam-dunk here).

Malik Nabers

The speedster from LSU is unlikely to fall much further if the Chargers don’t take him here. Nabers’ 4.35-second 40 time proved what was evident to anyone who watched him last fall: he is a home-run threat every time he touches the football. His eye-popping stats last season — 89 catches for 1,569 yards (17.6 yards per catch) and 14 TDs — also showed that he’s more than just a deep threat. A 20-year-old prospect with his speed and route-running will likely provide a huge boost in both the short- and long-term for whichever offense drafts him.

Joe Alt

Yet another highly-touted blocker from Notre Dame, Alt is a towering O-line prospect at nearly 6-foot-9 who helped lead one of the best rushing attacks in the country in 2023. Whether he goes to the Chargers at No. 5 or another team in the top 10, Alt is a lock to be the first O-lineman off the board ().

JJ McCarthy

The Chargers are not in the market for a QB. The Vikings, however, currently have the No. 11 and No. 23 picks in the first round and could move up to No. 5 to take McCarthy. Minnesota is seen as one of the most likely landing spots for the former Michigan Wolverine.

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Given that neither the Cardinals at No. 4 nor the Chargers at No. 5 need a QB, the buzz around McCarthy will only build over the next few days.

In fact, the question might be whether McCarthy (currently to go No. 3 and to go No. 4) will still be on the board at No. 5. He’s reportedly drawn the interest of not only the Vikings, but also the Patriots and Giants.