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2024 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Jayden Daniels
Photo: SCOTT CLAUSE/USA TODAY Network

Jayden Daniels NFL Draft Profile

  • College: LSU (via Arizona State)
  • College Position: QB
  • Ideal NFL Position: QB
  • Height/Weight: 6’4", 210 lbs
  • Year / Age: 5th Year Senior / 23 (24 in December)
  • Draft Projection: Top 10
  • Where I’d Take Him: Top 20

Background

Coming out of Cajon High School in San Bernardino, California, Jayden Daniels was a four-star recruit and the No. 1 dual-threat quarterback prospect in the country, per 247Sports. Daniels held offers from various Power Five programs including Alabama, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State, and USC before committing to Arizona State.

Jayden Daniels College Stats

PFF

Year School Adj. Comp % BTT % TWP % Prsr2Sk% TTT Yds/Att PFF Grade

2023

LSU

79.6%

8.4%

1.6%

20.2%

2.91

11.5

94.7

2022

LSU

77.2%

2.9%

0.6%

30.8%

2.94

7.5

87.8

2021

Arizona State

75.6%

2.6%

2.3%

20.9%

3.07

7.8

83.2

2020

Arizona State

63.4%

5.2%

1.7%

25.0%

2.37

8.3

73.3

2019

Arizona State

72.4%

4.2%

2.4%

24.0%

2.77

8.3

66.7

2023 Draft Class Avg

N/A

75%

5.6%

2.9%

15.5%

2.76

8.5

83.1

In three years with the Sun Devils, Daniels started in 30 games with a record of 18-11. Before his final season at Arizona State (2021), the NCAA announced that the football program was under investigation for recruiting violations. The investigation included documents that implicated Daniels' mother in the violations. Daniels, however, wasn't implicated in any wrongdoing and his mother denied any involvement.

After the 2021 season, Daniels transferred to LSU. He put together a strong but unspectacular 2022 season. Then, in 2023, he produced incredible numbers on his way to a Heisman Trophy. He also earned consensus All-American honors, First-Team All-SEC honors, and SEC Offensive Player of the Year for his 2023 campaign.

Strengths

  • Point guard rhythm passer who plays within the offense and distributes the football to his playmakers
  • Throws with some anticipation from the pocket
  • Feet move with his eyes through reads
  • Accelerates to top speed as a runner instantly
  • Good change of direction to make defenders miss
  • Slippery in the pocket with the ability to evade pressure
  • Enough arm talent to layer throws over defenders
  • Shows good touch when throwing intermediate and deep
  • Uses a quick, tight release that gets the ball out quickly

Weaknesses

  • Thin, narrow frame raises questions about his durability considering the big hits he takes
  • Becomes a runner the moment his eyes drop with limited evidence of throwing as a scrambler
  • Average arm strength with underwhelming velocity when forced to drive the ball
  • Tends to underthrow the deep ball
  • Inconsistent accuracy when targeting short and intermediate portions of the field
  • Lacks arm talent to survive off-platform
  • Hesitant to let it rip over the middle
  • Slow to adapt to changing circumstances post-snap
  • Ran a scheme that leaned extremely heavily on curl routes and go routes
  • History says not to bet on a fifth-year breakout campaign

Final Thoughts and Chicago Bears Fit for Jayden Daniels

Daniels currently has a top-20 grade from our team, and I expect him to be the third quarterback off the board in the 2024 NFL Draft. Although, I would not be shocked if JJ McCarthy jumps ahead of Daniels before it's all said and done. At this point, I'm not expecting that, but think it's a possibility.

On tape, you see a ball distributor who is polished at executing the scheme. Daniels is a rhythm passer who can get through his reads and utilize his athletic gifts to escape the pocket. He shows anticipatory throws throughout his tape, which are necessary due to his only average arm talent. As a runner, Daniels possesses excellent acceleration, allowing him to hit his top speed almost instantly. His shorter legs limit his breakaway speed to a degree, but his shiftiness and explosion are evident.

The largest knocks to Daniels' draft profile include his eagerness to drop his eyes and run under pressure and his lack of throws to the middle of the field. When pressured, Daniels runs the ball at an alarmingly high rate. It has worked for him in college but might be less effective at the NFL level. At LSU, Daniels ran an offense that simplified reads for him and relied heavily on the first-round wide receiver talent rostered. NFL scouts will heavily weigh how he handles the whiteboard in meetings.

I see Daniels' ceiling as a good quarterback who could make a few Pro Bowls under the right circumstances, similar to a player like Jalen Hurts. He's willing to play within structure and does well to get the ball to his playmakers. However, the degree of roster talent and scheme specificities needed to support that level of play could be immense.

Meanwhile, his floor is a backup with potential for developmental upside, similar to a player like Tyrod Taylor or Tyler Huntley. Daniels will go early in the draft and be given the starting job for a few years at least. But if he doesn't learn to utilize the middle of the field and handle pressure more efficiently, I'm not sure he'll ever reach quality NFL starter status.

Despite Dan Orlovsky's recent comments, I believe the Chicago Bears quarterback argument to be a two-man race between Caleb Williams and Drake Maye . Maybe you can include Justin Fields, but Williams is pulling away from the pack either way. I struggle to see a world where Daniels is on the Bears' radar entering the 2024 NFL Draft.

The idea of using the No. 1 pick on a quarterback who didn't break out until his fifth season with two first-round wide receivers on the roster just gives me heartburn. Maybe there's some set of circumstances that makes Daniels a possibility, but I'm not interested in doing those mental gymnastics. Until something sets those circumstances in motion, I struggle to see a fit in Chicago.

NFL Comparison - Ceiling: Jalen Hurts

NFL Comparison - Most Likely: Marcus Mariota

This article first appeared on On Tap Sports Net and was syndicated with permission.

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