Why NFL scouts are high on LSU QB Jayden Daniels as draft prospect

Scroll through the quarterback rankings on one NFL draft website and you won’t find Jayden Daniels’ name until the 23rd spot on that list.

There are multiple other sites as well with the LSU senior not even ranked among the top 10 QB prospects for the 2024 NFL draft.

Expect that to change moving forward.

Based on recent conversations with NFL scouting sources, it’s clear that NFL scouts have a much higher opinion on Daniels as a prospect than some in the media.

Within a 2024 quarterback class that lacks consensus on the top options beyond the top two, at least some scouts view Daniels as currently being one of the best and most intriguing prospects in this QB group outside of USC’s Caleb Williams and North Carolina’s Drake Maye.

“I really like Jayden Daniels,” one NFL scouting source told On3. I like the upside and the way he finished last year as opposed to the way he started. I think he’s got a lot of talent and a lot of upside.”

After transferring to LSU from Arizona State, where he was a three-year starter, Daniels helped the Tigers post a 10-4 record last season. That included a 6-2 mark in SEC play and two wins over top-10 teams.

Daniels threw for 2,913 yards, ran for 885 yards, ranked second in the SEC with a completion percentage of 68.6 and accounted for 28 total touchdowns (17 passing, 11 rushing) with only three interceptions.

During a three-game stretch that included wins over Florida, then-No. 7 Ole Miss and then-No. 6 Alabama, Daniels was 66 of 92 passing (71.7 percent) with 779 passing yards, 260 rushing yards, 14 total touchdowns (seven passing, seven rushing) and no turnovers.

Performances like those three games have at least some scouts not only viewing Daniels as one of the better quarterback prospects for the 2024 draft but also believing that he could end up being in the conversation to be a first-round draft pick.

“I think he does (have first round traits),” an NFL scouting source said. “If you take his three or four best games from this past year, I probably think he’s a little bit better than (former Tennessee star and Detroit Lions third-round pick) Hendon Hooker, honestly. The scheme is better for Hooker in terms of numbers and production, but some of the stuff that Jayden Daniels does I think translates (better). I think quarterback coaches are going to like this guy. I think scouts are going to like this guy. So I think he’s pretty talented, and they (at LSU) think he’s going to have a big year. I think Jayden can be pretty good.”

In the eyes of both scouts and people around the LSU program, there was clear growth from Daniels throughout last year and from an up-and-down 2021 season at Arizona State, which he finished with 10 touchdown passes and 10 interceptions.

While Daniels received fourth-to-fifth round grades from the two scouting services used by NFL teams heading into the 2021 and 2022 seasons, the outlook is even more positive heading into this second season at LSU.

“After watching all the tape, Jayden showed significant progress over the course of last year,” Senior Bowl executive director Jim Nagy told On3. “I was at the opener against Florida State and he clearly wasn’t comfortable in the offense, but by the end of the year, he looked confident operating everything. He played at a high level against Alabama. Lots of good takeaways from that game. He’s got nice bounce in his feet and a quick release. He’s athletic enough to escape and extend plays. He looks to make plays downfield rather than simply take off running and he doesn’t put the ball in harm’s way. He can see the whole field and work through full-field reads. He’s also shown some signs of being clutch in big moments, like he did in the win over Alabama. Plenty of things to like heading into the fall.”

It’s not just the progression throughout last year with Daniels either. LSU sources are expecting another big jump from Daniels this season with him continuing to improve and coming out of what’s been described as an outstanding spring from him.

After not arriving at LSU until early March last year and not getting all the first-team QB reps for a while because of being in a competition for the starting job, people at LSU see Daniels being much more confident and comfortable overall and within the Tigers’ offense than he was heading into last year.

In January, LSU coaches constructed an offseason plan for Daniels, going over strengths and weaknesses with him to go along with a plan and rundown for improving in specific areas.

The feedback has been that Daniels has worked extremely hard and followed that plan. With help from LSU coaches such as QB coach Joe Sloan and others like private quarterback coach and former Arizona State starting QB Taylor Kelly, Daniels showed marked improvement during the spring in areas such as being patient in the pocket, staying on time in his progressions, throwing a more catchable ball on underneath routes (as opposed to the knuckleball he would throw at times last year), being more confident pushing the ball down the field and also being more accurate on downfield throws.

All of that was on display as Daniels finished the Tigers’ spring game 10 of 11 for 168 yards with two touchdown passes and no turnovers.

The 6-foot-3 Daniels is also up above 205 pounds after playing last year as light as the high 180s and low 190s.

It all bodes well for LSU heading into a season during which the Tigers are positioned to be among the top contenders in the SEC.

It also bodes well for Daniels and his positioning for not only this year but also for moving forward into the 2024 NFL draft.

“We think he is committed to being the best quarterback in the country,” LSU head coach Brian Kelly said after the Tigers’ spring game. “We’ve seen that in his work ethic. I think he was on the verge of moving in that direction throughout last season. His play kind of dictated that until he got injured. And I think he’s picked up where he left off last year, physically getting bigger and stronger, leading our offense, leading our entire team. He’s been a leader. So I don’t think there’s any reason why not to think he would be the next version of that. And that means not only one of many good quarterbacks in the SEC, but one of the best quarterbacks in the country.”