Continuing our trend of quarterback scouting reports, this time we have the scouting report for LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels. Daniels is one of my favorite players in this entire draft, and his film was a very enjoyable watch. Let’s get right into it.
Jayden Daniels’ Strengths
Daniels has an underrated arm and, aside from Caleb Williams, it’s hard to argue that any other guy in this draft has a better arm. He can throw the ball with ease to all areas of the field, and his accuracy is good to the point that he can throw receivers open even against good coverage.
Daniels is an amazing runner, and I think this will translate easily to the NFL. He’s extremely quick and agile, and there were multiple games last year at LSU where his running completely changed the game. He can make any juke, and has excellent vision. Daniels has legitimate breakaway speed in the open field, and his agility makes him slippery and hard to sack in the pocket as well.
Mentally, he’s pretty well-off. He seems to have great instincts and is especially good at anticipating receivers getting open on crossing routes. He’s able to make solid pre-snap reads, and is able to recognize blitzes. After the snap, Daniels does a decent job at getting through his reads, and it’s rare to see him force a pass.
Jayden Daniels’ Weaknesses
The biggest issue surrounding Daniels at the moment is his size. He’s a great player, and his abilities would have him rivaling Williams for the first overall pick — if he was bigger. He’s not short, but he has a skinny build, even for the college level. To keep himself safe, he’s going to need to learn how to protect himself. He can put on more weight, but he’s got to stay safe while that happens.
Jayden is accurate for the most part, but he struggles some on outward-breaking routes. On these, Daniels occasionally threw behind receivers, balls which will be picked by NFL corners. This is definitely something that can be fixed, though. Daniels also seemed to be afraid to attack the middle of the field at some points, although this could be a scheme issue.
NFL Draft Grade and Player Comparison
As the scouting report shows, Jayden Daniels is a lock to go in the top-10, and could very well go within the first five picks. By no means should be slip into the second half of the first round.
Player Comparison: Floor: Geno Smith, Ceiling: Deshaun Watson (Texans)
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