49ers’ Scouts Need to Watch Kansas QB Jalon Daniels

Kansas quarterback (QB) Jalon Daniels is efficient and he is productive.

Not to mention, he doesn’t quit. He keeps coming at defenses…

These are the kinds of characteristics and attributes that make a signal caller attractive in the scouting process.

Case in point – – The Auto Zone Liberty Bowl on December 28.

Kansas was down 31-13 at the half to Arkansas after Daniels threw two ugly-looking interceptions (his two worst-looking passes in this four-game study).

How did Daniels respond to adversity?

He came roaring back and although his team dropped the game 55-53 in the third overtime, it was the kind of game that put Daniels on the radar.

Daniels went 37-55 for 544 yards with five passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown.

It will be interesting to see how he builds upon this performance in 2023.

What does Daniels bring to an offense?

I enjoyed watching Daniels play.

I liked his body language and how he led his offense.

Daniels brings a real presence to the field and he has this quiet strength about him. It’s apparent he is in command pre-snap directing traffic and making sure everyone is in the right place.

He looks just as alert and dialed in getting the next play from the sideline.

While he did look somewhat rattled against TCU, the norm in these other three games was that same type of demeanor Daniels showed against Arkansas.

That’s not all

One of the most impressive things about Daniels is his football IQ.

How does this show up in the game film?

-low sacks

-low interceptions

-solid ball security

Daniels does not take many sacks (2022: 7), and he had a good TD-to-INT ratio last season (18-4.

What does this mean?

He makes relatively quick throwing decisions.

In general, in this four-game film study, opposing defenses only disrupted nine of his passes in the air. He additionally fumbled three times, but his team recovered two. Daniels has good downfield ball placement in the short to intermediate route levels. This makes him one of the better QBs in this year’s draft class at keeping the ball out of harm’s way.

49ers

This is the team that kept going through my mind while watching Daniels play.

San Francisco Head Coach, Kyle Shanahan loves to work the short to intermediate route levels, and that’s Daniels.

Plus, Daniels adds an element of athleticism on top of it.

While this Kansas QB doesn’t appear to be a big-time deep ball thrower or a “big play guy,” he is very consistent at hitting a lot of “singles and doubles” to put it in baseball terms.

Add in the fact he makes quick decisions, does a good job of protecting the football, and takes minimum yardage losses (sacks), this is Shanahan’s type of guy.

He would fit their system perfectly. He would be a good backup who would not lose games, and have a chance at becoming a starter in time.

#6 Jalon Daniels 6-foot-0, 215 pounds

Daniel Kelly’s Spring 2023 Grade: Second-Round (I would select him)

Projected by 0% of the NFL Draft Community to be a first-round pick as of June 15, 2023 (nflmockdraftdatabase.com)

2022 game film reviewed: Duke, Kansas State, TCU, and Arkansas (click to view games watched to form this evaluation)

2022 stats: 155/230 (66.1%), 2014 yards, 18 TD, 4 INT, sacked 7 times, long-73

2024 NFL Draft Scouting Report

Athletic competitive dual-role prospect with a thick muscular frame and above-average arm strength. Well put together. Determined. Good head on his shoulders. Poised. Solid ball handling. Inconsistent progressions. Remains downfield focused. Shows he can evade the pass rush and pick up respectable chunks of yardage on the ground if need be. Decent ability to create and extend rolling to his right. Quarterback first. Runner second. Not a game-breaking runner, but has some quickness and speed to make things happen in the open field (1-20 yard range). A player a team can win with.

What to watch for during the 2023 college football season

1. Deep ball?

2. Ball security?

3. Number of sacks?

4. Throwing shoulder holds-up? (suffered severe separation against TCU in ’22 – came back and played with the rest of the season)

Daniel Kelly is a former NFL Scout with the New York Jets. He was hired on the regime which featured Bill Parcells, Bill Belichick, Scott Pioli, Mike Tannenbaum, and Dick Haley. He is currently the Editor-in-Chief for First Round Mock and has written for Sports Illustrated Lions, Jets, and 49ers, as well as a featured guest on ESPN Radio and Fox Sports Radio. For more information about him visit his website at whateverittakesbook.com. He can be followed on Twitter @firstroundmock.