Field Yates explains choosing Jayden Daniels over Drake Maye at No. 2

The No. 1 overall pick for the upcoming NFL Draft is virtually set in stone with USC quarterback Caleb Williams solidifying himself as not just the top quarterback in this class, but one of the top overall prospects in recent history. But following the first pick, there is plenty of room for debate on who should be the No. 2 pick in this year’s draft.

LSU and North Carolina quarterbacks Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye have dominated that debate, providing one of the most polarizing and split discussions surrounding quarterback prospects in quite some time. But in his latest mock draft, ESPN NFL Draft analyst Field Yates gave Daniels the nod with the 2024 NFL Draft just three weeks away.

“I wound up with Jayden Daniels, the Heisman Trophy winner from LSU, the best player in college football this past season, a rapid rise up the boards,” Yates said. “I came to 2019 when another LSU quarterback won the Heisman Trophy, that being Joe Burrow. Flew up draft boards when throwing 60 touchdowns and leading them to one of the greatest college football seasons ever.”

There’s no doubt that the finale of Daniels and Burrow’s college careers draw a lot of comparisons, both transferring into LSU and taking major leaps in their second seasons with the team. So much so that they both took home the Heisman Trophy in their final years in The Bayou by leading high-powered offenses with two 1,000-yard wide receivers.

Daniels’ comparison to Burrow likely fills Washington Commanders fans with excitement as they possess the No. 2 overall pick in the upcoming draft. But despite their career arcs having some similarities, their styles of play are quite different.

“What I love about Jayden Daniels is pretty much everything the way that he can operate from the pocket as a passer and of course, the rushing yards are not to be ignored,” Yates said. “He is the only player in FBS history with a game in which he had at least 350 passing yards and 200 rushing yards. That was against Florida this past season. There are Gators fans all over Gainesville that have done their very best to try to forget that one fateful Saturday.”

Daniels threw for 3,812 yards and 40 touchdown passes last season while also rushing for 1,134 yards and scoring 10 touchdowns on the ground to take home the Heisman Trophy. As he’d join an NFL team with 55 collegiate starts under his belt as an experienced, slender-framed, dual-threat quarterback with an explosive arm and legs.

Maye provides his own rushing ability as well, viewed as more of a physically imposing and bruising rusher compared to Daniels after rushing for 1,147 yards and 16 touchdowns in his two seasons as the Tar Heels starter. Also bringing less experience but more upside and room for growth to the table as a younger quarterback.

There’s no question that Maye and Daniels are two excellent prospects who’ve been dominant at the college level, with differing opinions surrounding the two seeming more based on preference over performance. As all eyes will be on Washington for the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft to see which quarterback the Commanders prefer to lead their franchise in the future.