LSU’s Jayden Daniels is a consensus top-three quarterback in the 2024 NFL Draft class and is a virtual lock to be the second or third overall pick. As we await Daniels’ NFL team, let’s take a look at his path to becoming one of the top QB prospects in the nation.
Where Did Jayden Daniels’ Football Career Start?
Other QBs had a more conventional path to becoming top NFL prospects. Daniels’ journey was a bit different.
Daniels went to Cajon High School in San Bernardino, Calif. In his senior season, Daniels threw for 4,515 yards and 60 touchdowns in 14 games. As one of the best dual-threat QBs in the nation, Daniels also torched defenses on the ground, rushing for 1,536 yards and another 16 scores.
Coming out of high school, Daniels was a four-star recruit. He received offers from 25 different college football programs, ultimately choosing to enroll at Arizona State.
Revisiting Daniels’ College Career
Arizona State
In 2019, Daniels put himself on the map immediately. He won the QB competition against the incumbent starter, becoming the first true freshman to ever start at quarterback for Arizona State.
That year, Daniels threw for 2,943 yards and 17 touchdowns with just two interceptions. He didn’t run quite as much as one might expect, totaling just 355 yards and three touchdowns on the ground.
At this point, we all know what happened in 2020. The pandemic resulted in truncated schedules all across the nation for the teams that played at all. Daniels started just four games, which is all that Arizona State played.
MORE: 2024 NFL Draft Big Board
As a junior in 2021, Daniels started to lean more on his rushing. He threw for 2,381 yards and just 10 touchdowns with a far-too-high 10 interceptions. However, he ran the ball 138 times for 710 yards and six touchdowns.
Unfortunately, Daniels had to deal with an issue completely unrelated to his on-field performance that may have impacted his play. During the 2021 season, Arizona State was the subject of an investigation into potential recruiting violations. There was an allegation that Daniels’ mother paid for flights for recruits.
Amid all the chaos, Daniels did complete his junior year at Arizona State. However, he opted to transfer to LSU ahead of his senior season.
LSU
Daniels took over as the starter immediately upon joining the Tigers. With the benefit of throwing the ball to fellow 2024 first-rounder Malik Nabers, Daniels had his best season yet.
Daniels threw for 2,913 yards and 17 touchdowns. Perhaps most importantly, he was back to protecting the football, throwing just three interceptions. On the ground, Daniels continued to progress, rushing 186 times for 885 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Jayden Daniels (@JayD__5) this season for @LSUfootball:
🐯 69.8% compeltion rate
🐯 2,613 total yards
🐯 24 total TDs (14 pass, 10 rush)
🐯 1 INTpic.twitter.com/LtRlPOCUCh— College Football Network (@CFN365) November 7, 2022
At this point, Daniels had played four collegiate seasons. He could have entered the NFL Draft, but he wasn’t even remotely considered a top prospect. At best, he might have been a Day 3 pick. As a result, Daniels exercised his additional year of eligibility available due to the COVID-19 season. This is an instance of returning to school for an extra year working out in spades.
In his fifth-year senior season, Daniels threw for 3,812 yards and 40 touchdowns with just four interceptions. He also ran for 1,134 yards and another 10 scores on the ground.
Daniels’ performance took him from maybe getting drafted to a top-three projection.
Daniels’ Potential in the NFL
Pro Football Network’s NFL Draft Analyst Ian Cummings has Daniels firmly below Drake Maye and Caleb Williams but still clearly the QB3 of this class.
“Daniels grades out as a top-15 prospect in the 2024 NFL Draft and a legitimate franchise QB option in the class. He’s my QB3 behind Drake Maye and Caleb Williams, and there’s a slight gap between them — but Daniels is still worth the investment as a franchise-leading force under center.
“Daniels, on Day 1, should be a dynamic presence as a passer, a runner, and an RPO conductor at the NFL level. But there are a few factors that create a gap between him and the top QB prospects.
“Daniels’ arm, while above average, is visibly non-elite — both with its velocity generation and off-platform layering.
“Meanwhile, on the operational side, Daniels still has room to grow. His anticipation, particularly over the middle of the field, can be hot and cold, and his twitched-up athleticism can yield a lack of mechanical control. At over 23 years old, it’s fair to wonder if these issues can be remedied.
“Having said all this, there’s more than enough in Daniels’ game to fuel confidence in his projection. Particularly in a multifaceted spread-oriented offense, where he’s able to use space created pre-snap as a runner and a thrower, Daniels can be a quality NFL starter, and he has impact starter upside at his developmental peak.”
KEEP READING: Ian Cumming’s Full Jayden Daniels Draft Profile
There’s always elevated risk in a quarterback who really only has one incredible season. For Daniels to not do that until his fifth-year senior season is definitely a concern. But before Daniels, there was another LSU QB who followed a similar path. Perhaps you’ve heard of him. His name is Joe Burrow.
Highlights, Records, and More
The amount of accolades Daniels amassed is mighty impressive considering every single one of them did not come until his final season at LSU.
During the 2023 season, Daniels became the first player in FBS history to throw for 350 yards and run for 200 yards in the same game. It was performances like this that put him in pole position for the Heisman. Daniels was the third LSU player to win the award.
In addition to the Heisman, Daniels won the Walter Camp Award, Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, Davey O’Brien Award, and Manning Award. He was named the AP College Football Player of the Year, as well as the Sporting News College Football Player of the Year.
Daniels was a Consensus All-American, First-Team All-SEC member, and the SEC Offensive Player of the Year. His performance also earned him a spot on CFN’s Second-Team All-American Offense.
Despite all these accomplishments, Daniels is certainly no lock to pan out. Nevertheless, he’s well worth the investment from an NFL team looking for its next franchise quarterback.
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