As the college football season winds down with one more game left between the Michigan Wolverines and Washington Huskies, all attention will then shift to the 2024 NFL draft.
Now through April each signal-caller will be dissected and analyzed from top to bottom as they prepare to put themselves in position to be a chosen one.
USC quarterback Caleb Williams is projected to be the first player taken, followed by UNC’s Drake Maye.
So where does that leave 2023 Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels?
Daniels, the former LSU Tigers standout who burst on the scene first at Arizona State, has taken the college football world by storm the past two seasons.
The former four-star prospect via San Bernadino, California, transferred to LSU prior to 2022, and in two seasons he put up some great numbers (6,725 yards, 77 touchdowns and 11 interceptions) through the air as well as on the ground (2,019 yards rushing and 21 more touchdowns), culminating in his winning the Heisman this past season.
Those numbers are no fluke, as Daniels did it weekly in the SEC.
So why isn’t his name being mentioned as the possible top quarterback in this draft?
Daniels’ Draft Stock Has Risen
Coming into the season Daniels was a projected fringe first-rounder, with the likelihood that he’d be taken somewhere between the 25th and 32nd pick of the first round. That’s changed drastically with his great season. He’s now skyrocketed to the top 5 of many mock drafts, with some having him going as high as No. 2. That’s a huge jump for a guy whose teammates at Arizona State taunted him for entering the transfer portal in February 2022.
In a video that went viral Sun Devils players could be heard saying …
“Clean his s— out. He sucked anyway.”
Two seasons later he’s arguably the best signal-caller in the draft.
Daniels is expected to test well at the upcoming NFL combine starting on Feb. 27 and straight kill at his pro day in Baton Rouge. We could see an ascension for him as we did last year with Houston Texans rookie and probably Offensive Rookie of the Year C.J. Stroud, who showed out at both the combine and his pro day, making the Carolina Panthers’ face a tough decision about who to take between him and 2022 Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young No. 1 overall.
Daniels Has The It Factor
With a defense incapable of getting stops, the onus to score often fell on Daniels and the Tigers offense, who answered the call by averaging 45 points and over 540 total yards per game.
And despite losing three games, the play of Daniels gave them a shot every week. His play also impressed ESPN NFL draft guru Mel Kiper Jr., who believes “he could” also go as high as No. 2 in the draft, and just not the second quarterback taken in the draft.
“To me, he did some things, that, when plays broke down, the ability to run around, elude, evade, and run through contact was really impressive,” Kiper Jr. said.
Daniels was a better quarterback than Williams and Maye this season. He did his damage against better defenses in the SEC.
Best Fits For Daniels
The 6-foot-4 and 215-pound dual-threat gunslinger has been linked to the Giants, Commanders, Patriots, Falcons and Jets.
With the first four, he could be the projected starter, with the Jets he’d have the opportunity to learn behind future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers if he returns 100 percent.
