Joel Klatt reveals what he loves about Jayden Daniels as a NFL prospect

Now that the college and pro football seasons are finished, attention for both worlds has turned to the NFL Draft, where there are several quarterback prospects at the top.

During his latest ranking of the current QB class, Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt raved about LSU’s Jayden Daniels, who made his list of the top-five prospects at the position in 2024. Its may not be a cannon of an arm or or unbelievable accuracy, but Klatt loves that Daniels has developed into such a steady all-around player under center.

“No. 3 is Jayden Daniels,” Klatt revealed on his list before giving commentary. “Now, Daniels is also, I would say, like a five-tool type of player and and he does all of those really well. Maybe not some of them to the level that Caleb Williams does or Drake Maye does, but others he does even better.”

Such as, Klatt notes, his ability to pick up chunk yardage on the ground, although that won’t be as easy at the next level.

“He’s more of a threat with his legs than all the others. He’s been an unbelievable runner in college football, ran for over 1,100 yards last season. But he is slender. That can be a concern. Can he run around like he did in college? Probably not. He’s 6’4, 210.”

Wile younger prospects are often popular at the top of the draft, Joel Klatt says he loves the game experience that Daniels brings in as a rookie, especially given how much he improved by the time of his incredible senior year.

“I love how experienced this guy is. He’s played a ton of football. 55 starts in his college career, 26 of them at LSU in the SEC. He was incredible last year on his way to the Heisman Trophy, averaged over 400 yards of total offense per game, including 95 per game on the ground. So again, he is a threat.”

“I’m a big believer in experience going into the National Football League and 55 starts is a lot. I thought he did so well during the course of his career. He went from what I thought was like a really athletic and dynamic player athletically on the field at ASU to a guy that was controlling the game from the pocket, so he was more well-rounded rather than great in one or two areas. He developed into a guy that showed the elements necessary to be really good in all five categories that you evaluate.”

Klatt then outlined those five specific areas where Jayden Daniels excels that are all important for quarterbacks.

“Again, just a reminder what are those five categories? Pocket control, arm talent, movement and creating, are you a threat to the defense with your legs, and then, what is your mind like, do you understand the schematics of the sport.”

To cap off his assessment of the Tiger superstar, Klatt had this to say:

“I think Daniels really developed in a lot of those categories. He was much better getting the ball out on time and on target, especially late in his career. Now, granted, he had quality wide receivers to do that, but that was what I felt like was the the the proper maturation that you saw from him from a quarterback standpoint. So Daniels is No. 3.”