By Matt Stuart | Published | No Comments
QB – Jayden Daniels | LSU Tigers 
Class:
Senior
Birthplace:
San Bernardino, CA
Height:
6’4″
Weight
230lbs2023 STATS
(Passing) 3.812 yards | 40 TD’s | 4 INT | 72.2 % COMP
(Rushing) 135 carries | 1,134 yards | 10 TD’sPROS – Strong Arm and good awareness of where all of his play makers are at any given time. Above average velocity on throws over the middle of the field. Quick release and good mechanics in his throwing motion. Excellent mobility and runs like a running back. Hyper athleticism and great accuracy on down field throws. CONS – Sometimes abandons pockets early and can run into sacks when facing above average pass rushers. Slender frame could lead to some durability issues if an offense predicated more on RPO’s and designed runs.
Daniels has had an interesting college career, but it’s safe to say that he saved his best for last. Daniels senior season was a bit of an awakening as far as talent finally catching up with his overall play. Daniels lit up the SEC, whom many people feel is the best conference at the FBS level. Daniels did it with his legs and with his arm. He simply dominated against some of the best defenses at the college level. In the process, Daniels took home a lot of hardware at the end of the season, including the Heisman trophy.
Daniels has running back speed, prototypical height for the position and a big arm. That is essentially the holly grail for most NFL scouts looking for a quarterback. Daniel taxes defenses to their limits by forcing them to respect his ability to score on almost any run, designed or otherwise. That makes it much easier for Daniel pass catchers to get open down the field and boy did they. Daniels top target Malik Nabers, is expected to be high first round pick in next year’s draft as well, and that has a lot to do with Daniels ability to make big time throws down the field.
Daniels has a strong arm and shows excellent velocity which will help him fit balls into tighter windows at the next level. Daniels can target all areas of the field and he is very good attacking deep down the field, especially taking advantage of typical man coverage that most quarterbacks see in college. Daniels was second in the SEC this past season in air yards and passes of at least 20 yards or more in the air.
Daniels showed good footwork and proper release techniques during his time at LSU. There were some minor issues with his footwork during his first three seasons at Arizona State, but nothing major. In any event, Daniels transformation into an outstanding pocket passer during his two seasons at LSU shows that he has done a great job getting himself properly oriented with his lower body positioned into the throw and his quick release and short throwing motion should all translate well at the next level.
Vision has as much to do with what a quarterback sees reading the defense pre-snap as it does when a quarterback is reading the defense once the ball is snapped. What I like to see is a quarterback that can quickly scan the field while settling in behind his line, pre snap, and understanding what the defense is trying to do. Daniels has made significant leaps in how he see the field during his five seasons in college. Daniels does a good job of looking off safeties and and drawing corners further down into coverage and then beating them deep over the top. Daniels keeps his eyes down the field when he scrambles and that leads to very good accuracy, especially on quick throws over the middle of the field, a very crowded area of the field where a quarterbacks vision can become the determining factor in a sharply completed pass or a turnover.
Daniels has off the charts speed and mobility. Like several quarterbacks in this draft class, he can out run most linebackers and even top end safeties and corners can have trouble catching him in space, especially if they take the wrong route. Daniels is excellent at playing outside the structure of the play and if all things breakdown in the pocket, his top end speed makes him a genuine threat to score on almost any occasion where he takes off. Daniels reminds me very much of Justin Fields. They are both excellent runners, particularly once they get out into space and clear the defensive backs, and they can also work very well in play action and RPO sets. Nothing is really lost when you watch Daniels scrambling in the backfield. He just makes plays and keeps moving the chains. At the end of the day that essentially the fundamentals of offensive football.
Daniels is listed a 6’4″ and 210 lbs. He has prototypical height for the position, but he is very slender and a little undersized as far as his weight goes. I really do not see this being a problem, as we have seen several quarterbacks a bit on the light side as far as weight goes, bulk up a bit once they get a season or two under them in the pros. I also believe that Daniels high end arm talent and his preference to want to work from the pocket should ease the mind of any team that is looking for a quarterback in the first round of the draft.
Like many dual threat quarterbacks what makes them great can sometimes become a weakness. Daniels does have a tendency to abandon clean pockets a bit too soon. This is not a big deal in college, but this can lead to mobile quarterbacks sometimes running into sacks on the edge in the pros. When Daniels does move around in the pocket and faces pressure, he tends to want to move more in a lateral direction, than move up in the pocket. Since most offensive lineman at the next level handle interior pressure a little better than pressure from the exterior, this could lead to more sacks than necessary. All in all though there is not too much poke at here.
Daniels is an excellent prospect. In baseball terms he would be considered a five tool player. Daniels is a high ceiling quarterback that should only get better once he gets a few years under his belt at the next level. He showed that during his college career, as he faced early setbacks, but persevered through them. Daniels should go in the first round and he should be able to contribute right away at the next level.
