LSU QB Jayden Daniels Too Slender to Play in the NFL?

Quarterback (QB) Jayden Daniels was part of the 2019 recruiting class, which was held in very low regard due to a perceived lack of high-upside traits for both college and the NFL.

However, with the success of QB Sam Howell (Commanders) and multiple guys projected to go high in the 2024 NFL Draft, the 2019 QB class defeated the odds and the critics. One of those victors is Daniels who potentially could win the Heisman Trophy.

Daniels was a 4-star prospect out of California according to 247sports.com before signing with ASU. He was the No. 35 ranked QB with exciting talent and an exceptionally thin frame.

He’s gone on to transfer to LSU and in the process, he’s become a fierce competitor and the best athlete on the field whenever he plays. No one has improved their stock more in this draft and I was excited to watch him play.

Let’s Dig In.

Daniels is dangerous

The first thing that jumps out on game film – – Daniels is a superstar athlete.

At 6-foot-4, 210 pounds, he has what looks like 4.4 (40-yard-dash) speed.

Daniels is a home run threat every time he runs with the ball in his hands due to his high-level quickness and acceleration.

These traits help with his run-pass option (RPO) game.

When it comes to throwing the football, Daniels has a quick and easy release, which helps in the quick-tempo offense he is efficient and impressive operating.

Under pressure, the thing that stood out was Daniels’ poise. He is good at not panicking and he either takes the underneath route or uses his legs to get out of pressure situations and he then turns into a runner.

This LSU QB excels throwing into the middle of the field and shows enough arm strength to make sideline-to-sideline throws.

The best part of Daniels – – is throwing the football deep (and he’s accurate).

His arm talent stretches all over the field.

Daniels is not without his critics, and for some reason, they say he’s bad in the pocket. Don’t listen to them. They must not be watching him work the pocket with ease, both with his eyes and his arm.

I’ve been a fan of Daniels since high school, and I did not see his success coming, but it’s a credit to his work ethic and the good coaching he has received from LSU head coach, Brian Kelly.

PLEASE GET DOWN

Daniels – – please – – please – – please get down.

This is a major weakness. Potentially, this could be a catastrophic flaw if he doesn’t get better at avoiding hits. There have been many times in Daniels’ college career he’s taken big hits and been injured and HE WILL GET INJURED IN THE NFL if he keeps doing it.

Are there any other weaknesses we should know about?

Despite his improved accuracy, the ball can still get away from him at times. He can miss the target on easy throws. While Daniels has a good arm, he needs more power in his throws. He needs to get into an NFL weight room and add more muscle to his thin frame.

The elephant in the room – – he’s had one big college year (2023: 40 touchdowns and 3,812 yards passing per ESPN).

Is he a one-year wonder?

I don’t think so because I believe in players getting better, but it’s a question worth asking and thinking about.

Scouting Report

Game Film Evidence (2022)

Florida State

Florida

(2023)

Missouri

Alabama

Florida

Texas A&M

Florida State

A creative NFL offensive coordinator is going to have a lot of fun game planning with Daniels.

A talented and much-improved quarterback with the work ethic to keep improving. He’s an explosive runner and balances that with a deep ball that keeps defenses honest. Adds in the element of ball fakes and RPO. Great in the short-to-intermediate range. His natural ability makes him a high-upside pick, but again, he must add weight to his frame or figure out how to run out of bounds and slide for the sake of making a career of it at the next level.

Tatum Round Grade: First-Round (Top-10)

Looking forward to:

His draft process at the All-Star games, pro day, and the NFL Scouting Combine.

Rashad Tatum has been a deep-rooted fan of football since his grandpa introduced him to the game at the age of five years old. He’s from Houston, Texas. He uses YouTube and All22 film to break down prospects to give his direct analysis of players. Rashad has a trained eye developed by his former high school coach Steve Strahan who was in the NFL and played at Baylor University. He currently covers the top-rated prospects in the NFL Draft for Firstroundmock.com. When writing about football he lives by the motto “Lover of football, fan of no team.”