As Jayden Daniels prepares to hear his name called very early in the 2024 NFL Draft, he’s spent some time working out alongside a couple of one-year veterans of the league.
Bryce Young and CJ Stroud were in Daniels’ exact shoes last season, in the mix as a top-three pick and anxiously waiting to find out their new homes. So, this time around, with one full season of professional play under their belt, the two recent rookies spent some time this offseason practicing with an old friend in Daniels ahead of his own big day.
The former LSU star revealed on SportsCenter Thursday morning ahead of the first round of the draft that night that he’s been getting in reps with Stroud and Young, who he considers to be old friends.
“Man, I’ve known Bryce and CJ for years, since we were kids,” said Daniels. “So really, just being to go out there and compete against them, we’re all competing, we’re all competitors.”
Sure, these workouts were pretty lax and weren’t necessarily in front of 50 NFL scouts, but the three QBs still went at it, according to Daniels.
“Even though it’s a harmless throwing session, we’re all trying to get better but we’re still competing. So I’d just say, man, it pushed us to be great, pushed us harder to go out there and get the best out of the workout.”
Not too bad for Jayden Daniels to get some last-minute workouts in with Stroud and Young, two young stars of the league hot off their first seasons and able to share some of that experience with a rising rookie in Daniels.
According to on3’s Cody Bellaire, though, hard work has always been the No. 1 key to success, on and off the field. 2023 featured the payoff of all those extra hours at the gym and in the facility.
“They said it was his preparation and his commitment to learning that offense and connecting with his teammates that allowed him to reach that new level,” Bellaire explained on Tuesday’s On3 YouTube show with Andy Staples.
“First player in the building, last guy to leave, any chance he could get to throw to those guys he would. But he really committed to learning that offense backwards and forwards,” he added.
Daniels really is that dedicated worker in the gym, whether it’s at LSU in the preseason or alongside two current NFL starters in the middle of the offseason.
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