One former NFL player thinks an SEC quarterback has Caleb Williams beat for best QB in 2024 NFL draft
The Bears are doing their due diligence and looking into every possible option for the number one pick. According to Bleacher Report, that includes collecting intel on players like Jayden Daniels, J.J. McCarthy, Caleb Williams, and Drake Maye. All those players are considered the best QB prospects in the draft. All have their strengths, but some prospects stand out more than others.
For most of the offseason, the debate about who the best quarterback prospect is has been between two players, Caleb Williams and Drake Maye. ESPN’s Louis Riddick suggests everyone is forgetting another player who should be in that discussion. That player is Jayden Daniels.
Riddick said he believes that LSU’s Jayden Daniels was the best quarterback in college football in 2023. He says that the tape and stats point to this as a fact.
The data and the tape both showing that Jayden Daniels the best QB in college football in ‘23…AND…against the best competition/teams is when he was his best compared to all other QB’s.
What determines where he goes in the draft/how high he is selected will not be because of…
— Louis Riddick (@LRiddickESPN) February 19, 2024
Riddick mentions at the end of his post that Daniels draft position has nothing to do with his performance on the field. What would be the reason why is there less discussion about Daniels as a potential number one pick?
Reasons why Jayden Daniels might not be the best QB in the draft
Daniels is an electric player, that isn’t debatable. He is incredibly fast and has good size standing at 6′ 4″ and clocking in at 210 lbs. Daniels also ended his 2023 season by winning the Heisman Trophy after recording big numbers on the ground and through the air.
However, Riddick’s claim about Daniels being “the best,” against the “best competition,” is questionable.
In Daniels last two seasons as the starting quarterback, LSU has lost 7 games. That’s pretty good, but who Daniels lost to is important. Daniels has not been able to consistently lead his team to wins against the SEC’s top teams.
Daniels and LSU did beat a 6th ranked Alabama in overtime, and a 7th ranked Ole Miss in 2022. Outside of those two games, Daniels has struggled to beat the best teams in the SEC. With losses to SEC opponents like Georgia, Texas A&M, Tennessee in 2022. And losses to Alabama and Ole Miss in 2023.
The game log shows that Daniels has struggled against the premier teams in the SEC. He has pulled out a couple wins against strong programs but not in dominant or consistent fashion.
Final take away from Riddick’s comments
Jayden Daniels is an uber athletic dual threat quarterback who has the physical traits to succeed in the NFL. He also hasn’t shown enough in the “big game.” He can beat down on the second tier of SEC teams, but he struggled to win against top ranked opponents.
The Bears probably won’t look at Jayden Daniels too closely. He doesn’t jump off the page as much as Caleb Williams or Drake Maye does. Daniels is a good prospect and will probably be a top 10 pick. But he doesn’t makes sense for the Bears at number one.
Jayden Daniels will be a good pickup for many teams looking for a quarterback, especially if he falls out of the top 5 of the NFL draft, then he would be a steal. But calling Daniels the far and away “best,” QB in the 2024 NFL draft is a longshot to say the least.
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