Brian Kelly opens up about Jayden Daniels ability to protect himself on field

LSU Tigers quarterback Jayden Daniels is expected to be one of the first players taken in the 2024 NFL Draft. However, NFL teams do have a major question for his head coach, Brian Kelly, will he slide?

Following LSU’s Pro Day, Kelly met with the media where he explained that most teams weren’t asking him if he can’t do anything. Instead, the bigger question all around was whether or not he’d be willing to slide while running the ball.

“It’s interesting,” Brian Kelly said. “There’s very few questions about ‘he can’t do this,’ or ‘he can’t do that.’ I think it’s more ‘will he slide? Will he get down?'”

One of the exciting things about Jayden Daniels as an NFL prospect is his athleticism. However, during his time at LSU, he seemed to take big hits more frequently than other SEC quarterbacks. Over time in the NFL, that could be an issue that leads to injury issues.

Still, for Brian Kelly, the way he runs is a sign of how tough and competitive he is, which is a benefit in its own right.

“I think that’s — and what I said to them is, look you have a guy who is incredibly tough and competitive, no one more so than the guy that I saw get hit in the Alabama game and come back the next week out of the concussion protocol and set an NCAA record the next week. That to me speaks to his toughness. And he’s a smart guy. He’s figured this thing out,” Kelly said.

“So, that’s been really the biggest question. It hasn’t been about ‘Can he pick up the safety reads? Can he pick up blitz protections?’ They see that on film. It’s, ‘Coach, will he protect himself?’ And I’m sure he will.”

Jayden Daniels won the Heisman Trophy for the 2023 season, with 3,812 passing yards and 40 passing touchdowns. He also had 1,134 rushing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns. Now, he’s expected to be a top-three pick in the draft.

Brian Kelly hints at Washington Commanders being landing spot for Jayden Daniels

With the Washington Commanders holding the second overall pick in the NFL Draft, Brian Kelly hinted it could be a landing spot for Jayden Daniels.

“He’s going to be so committed to taking care of himself,” Kelly said about Daniels.

“You don’t have to worry about size or he doesn’t weigh enough. Lamar [Jackson] has done a pretty good job with his size. I think [Patrick] Mahomes I wouldn’t consider him a giant. He’s gonna get the ball out to the playmakers and make plays for Washington.”