What scouts are saying about QB prospect Daniels
To sum up LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels’ best traits, he is a quarterback with elite athleticism who doesn’t put the ball in harm’s way and has a tendency to deliver his best throws for scores.
Daniels is a dual threat with his arm and his legs. He was among the most accurate quarterbacks in college football last season with the ability to drop a deep ball in a bucket to one of his Nfl-caliber wide receivers in stride for a touchdown, and he regularly ran by SEC defenders for game-breaking plays with his legs.
But he’s not a perfect prospect. He’s 23 years old, has a slender 6-foot-4, 210-pound frame, and didn’t break out until wide receivers Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr. developed into firstround talents last season.
There’s some debate on where Daniels will be selected in the first round. His head coach at LSU, Brian Kelly, implied he would be playing for the Commanders, who hold the No. 2 overall pick, while speaking at his team’s pro day. ESPN’S Adam Schefter said recently on his podcast that Kelly’s suggestion was his expectation, as well. But at the NFL Annual Meeting, NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero said executives around the league believed Michigan’s JJ Mccarthy would go second overall, which would leave Daniels and UNC’S Drake Maye available to the Patriots at No. 2. (The Bears are fully expected to select Caleb Williams with the first overall pick.)
After viewing all of Daniels’ throws and runs from the 2023 season, let’s dive deeper into Daniels’ potential as a player with the help of scouts around the NFL, who gave their own takes on the young QB.
At a glance: Daniels began his college career at Arizona State in 2019 before transferring to LSU in 2022. He started all 55 college games he played and completed 66.3% of his passes for 12,750 yards with 89 touchdowns and 20 interceptions over the course of five seasons. He also rushed for 3,955 yards on 271 carries with 34 touchdowns and 19 fumbles.
What the film says: Daniels’ biggest strengths as a passer are his accuracy and ball protection. It’s surprising to see him throw an errant ball, and it’s even more shocking to see him loft the ball into double- or triple-coverage.
There are times when Daniels looks Lamar Jackson-esque as a scrambler. He’s especially dangerous scrambling straight up the middle of the field, and his vision as a runner allows him to weave in and out of traffic to pick up bigger gains. His frame and devil-maycare fearlessness should cause some concern when defenders are bigger, stronger and faster, however.
What scouts say
Arm talent: Scouts and executives were mostly positive on Daniels’ arm strength. An NFC South scout told the Boston Herald that he saw the LSU QB as having a “quick release with good touch and a catchable ball,” though his “pure arm strength is just adequate.”
Accuracy: Scouts were also mostly high on Daniels’ accuracy. An AFC West executive saw an “accurate passer from inside and outside the pocket” in his study. The AFC East scout liked Daniels’ accuracy from the pocket but called his “off-schedule and off-platform accuracy” a weakness.
Pocket presence: The AFC East and NFC South scouts both agreed that Daniels was a calm presence in the pocket. The AFC North scout saw Daniels’ pocket feel as a “work in progress and keeps him from maximizing his strengths at times.”
No one questioned Daniels’ decision-making ability as a passer. The AFC North scout called him a “capable processor and decision-maker.” The AFC East scout also saw his decision-making as a strength. Toughness: The AFC West executive liked Daniels’ physicality and called him mentally tough but a “quiet leader.” But he also noted his thin frame. The NFC South scout also called his “thin frame” a weakness.
What the stats say
Daniels ranked first in PFF’S deep passing grade this season, going 35-of55 for 1,347 yards with 22 touchdowns and zero interceptions on targets of 20-plus yards. His 63.0 under pressure passing grade ranked 13th out of 123 qualified FBS quarterbacks and below Bo Nix, Mccarthy and Michael Penix. His pressure-to-sack rate of 20.2% was 78th lowest but down from a 30.8% mark in 2022.
His clean-pocket passing grade ranked second only behind Williams. Daniels’ average 2.94-second time in the pocket did rank among the highest in college football. Of the 16 QBS pulled for our standardized study, Daniels ranked second-slowest only behind Williams.
Verdict
There’s a lot to like about Daniels’ combination of accuracy, pocket presence and athleticism. He’s an older prospect who has some durability concerns given his size and style of play, but the San Bernardino, Calif.-native has fans inside the Patriots’ facility for good reason.