Jayden Daniels again addresses possibly following Tom Brady with Patriots

LSU Tigers quarterback Jayden Daniels said during the NFL Scouting Combine that following in the footsteps of Tom Brady "would be dope" if the New England Patriots made Daniels the third pick of this year's draft on the night of April 25. 

Daniels again touched upon the subject after his pro day workout this week. 

"I played in Death Valley after (Cincinnati Bengals star) Joe Burrow," Daniels explained, as shared by Christopher Price of The Boston Globe. "I feel like I’m ready for anything. I’m a game-changer at the quarterback position. That’s what I can bring to that franchise." 

Barring what would be a shocking development, the Chicago Bears will make USC Trojans star signal-caller Caleb Williams the draft's first pick. The only thing for sure about the player-selection process beyond that is that nothing is for sure. 

Washington Commanders general manager Adam Peters may prefer drafting Michigan Wolverines quarterback J.J. McCarthy with pick No. 2 even though Washington was linked in previous mock drafts with Daniels and QB Drake Maye of the North Carolina Tar Heels. 

Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo may or may not be high on Maye heading into April. 

Like ESPN's Dan Orlovsky, the Patriots may rank Daniels ahead of Williams among prospects. 

New England could also sell choice No. 3 to acquire assets needed for the club's rebuild.

As for the Patriots' ongoing search for their next Brady, it's worth noting that 2021 first-round draft pick Mac Jones earned a Pro Bowl nod as a rookie before he flopped across his second and third NFL seasons. 

Jones' issues seemingly weren't related to Brady's shadow hovering over the organization, and Daniels made it known via his latest comments that he wants to end up with a team that will "invest" and "believe" in him. 

"I feel like I’ll be ready," Daniels insisted during his comments. "There’s a learning curve for everything. I’m just ready to hear my name called. Just go in there ready to learn. It’ll be a blessing, wherever I go." 

The Patriots signed veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett in free agency presumably so Brissett could both mentor a rookie and start ahead of that prospect this coming fall. 

As much as Daniels sounds ready to absorb knowledge while studying as a backup, his confidence suggests he'll want to compete for a QB1 job as soon as this coming summer.