Mel Kiper: Jayden Daniels will be ready to play for Washington Commanders

Forgive Mel Kiper for comparing one former LSU superstar to another one when it comes to the NFL Draft. Sometimes, those takes can be lazy. But this time, Jayden Daniels very well could be the next Joe Burrow.

Now, Daniels, last year’s Heisman Trophy winner, isn’t likely to go No. 1. That’s the Caleb Williams‘ space. With the NFL Draft now nine days away, the former USC star and 2022 Heisman winner seems locked with the Chicago Bears and the top spot.

But Daniels appears headed to the Washington Commanders as the second selection of the draft. The Commanders have changed head coaches and offensive coordinators, so the Washington fans also could be super hyped that a Heisman quarterback is headed their way.

“Everybody is trying to complicate this and throw names out like Drake Maye or J.J. McCarthy into the mix it. I get that, okay,” Kiper said as he introduced his latest mock draft. (Everybody) thought Baker Mayfield was going number one (in 2018) overall. I said Josh Allen. So you write (the names) in pencil this time of year, but Jayden Daniels, you’re talking about a guy who is ready to play.”

And new Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury is an ace at coaching quarterbacks, especially the dual-threat ones. When he took his first OC job back in 2012 at Texas A&M, his star QB was Johnny Manziel. He moved onto Texas Tech where he groomed Patrick Mahomes. Then as head coach of the Arizona Cardinals, his offense was all about Kyler Murray. Kingsbury worked as a senior offensive analyst on Lincoln Riley’s coaching staff at USC in 2023. While there, he worked with Williams.

So the NFL Draft could drop Daniels into the perfect spot for his talents.

Here’s how Kiper linked Joe Burrow’s name to Daniels. Both players took a huge leap in their final seasons at LSU. The Bengals selected Burrow with the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. He got to the Super Bowl in year two.

“You’re talking about a guy who is ready to play,” Kiper said. “I think with the dual threat that he is, okay and how much improvement he showed from 2023 to 2023, (he was) kind of Joe Burrow like in terms of that improvement. And he can escape, so he doesn’t put maximum pressure on that offensive line.”

And then Kiper brought up another name as he assessed Daniels.

“He can escape, he can create like Caleb Williams, and the job he did (last season), balancing being aggressive and not turning the ball over was phenomenal. Fumbles, interceptions, he didn’t do that.

“You go from a fourth-rounder (in Kiper’s projections a year ago) to the number two pick overall. (Meanwhile), the Washington Commanders are making a lot of moves. … When you talk about infrastructure, we hope it works out better for where we are right now with Caleb and Jayden than it did for Bryce Young. The infrastructure that we thought was in Carolina was actually in Houston. So sometimes, the best laid plans … But right now, it looks like he’s going to the right spot. Kliff Kingsbury, the offensive coordinator, Jayden Daniels a real good fit here with the Washington Commanders.”

The NFL Draft kicks off April 25 in Detroit. Daniels certainly will not have to wait long to hear this name. To read the rest of On3’s coverage of the NFL Draft, click it here.