ESPN analysts debate Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye as QB2 candidates in 2024 NFL Draft

As of now, Caleb Williams is the clear top choice at quarterback in the 2024 NFL Draft. Behind him, however, there is a big debate between Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye regarding who should be QB2 for the draft.

In his Mock Draft 2.0, ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. placed Jayden Daniels second. That sparked a debate among analysts on Get Up regarding which quarterback should go second. The debate began with Louis Riddick agreeing with Kiper that Daniels should go second.

“I don’t think there’s any question it’s Jayden Daniels,” Riddick said. “Because of the combination of skills that he brings in terms of being a run threat and a pass threat, and I’m not just talking about an out-of-structure pass threat. I’m talking about a guy who can distribute the football to all three levels of the field, make very difficult throws.”

Riddick, comparing Daniels and Maye directly with one another, acknowledged that Daniels had better talent around him but still feels he’s the better thrower and that he has better potential than Maye does.

“His off-target throw percentage in comparison to a guy like Drake Maye is much, much better. It’s much better in terms of his ability to throw the football with accuracy, throw the football with repeatable mechanics. The kind that you see in the NFL and you go, ‘That looks like an NFL-caliber thrower.’ I know he was throwing to Malik Nabers. A lot of us would love to throw to Malik Nabers. I know that Drake Maye didn’t have a receiver on his roster this year that is like Malik Nabers, as talented as him,” Riddick said.

“But this is a guy that if you feel comfortable with everything that’s going on off the football field in terms of his football intelligence, his home life, his family in terms of his support structure, and you believe that what you saw last year is just a stepping stone to what he can ultimately become, then there’s no question that you take him number two overall because, to me, he is a much more natural passer of the football and fits today’s game and has a higher ceiling than what Drake Maye has. I just believe that based on what I’ve seen. I can’t wait to find out what I hear about him, moving through this pre-draft process.”

At that point, Jeff Darlington jumped in to explain that figuring out the off-field stuff is going to be vital during the NFL Combine, much more so than anything they do on the field.

“The film is already there for these guys. It’s getting in the room with these players,” Darlington said. “So, many times in the past at combines I’ve heard from general managers that had their opinions swayed by meetings with these players. It’s the reason why this week in Indianapolis is very important to this process.”

After that, Dominique Foxworth came in to praise Drake Maye as a candidate for the NFL Draft. In particular, he pointed out several reasons why teams might like to draft Maye ahead of Daniels, including his size and arm strength.

“I think the big choice between Maye and Jayden Daniels comes down to arm strength and the type of quarterback that you want. Like Drake Maye has the arm strength that people think can overcome a late read or something like that. Jayden Daniels I wouldn’t say has the same type of arm strength, but then he has the high floor provided by his running ability. Then again, how often do we see people pass up on six-four, 230lb guys with cannon arms? We’ve seen that work in the league a lot and that would be Drake Maye,” Foxworth said.

“While Jayden Daniels is pretty tall, he’s also pretty slight, and he has a propensity to get lit up, which is about the decisions he makes sometimes running the ball, not passing the ball. But both of these guys shape up well to develop in the right situation. I think it comes down to a choice between the style of quarterback you’re more comfortable coaching and developing around.”

Where Maye and Daniels rank will likely change several times ahead of the NFL Draft. However, as Foxworth explained, it’s likely going to come down to what style of quarterback the teams at the top are the most comfortable with.