Why Jayden Daniels' mental approach stands out for NFL teams

Jayden Daniels was one of the most dynamic quarterbacks in college football history. Combining his smooth gliding running style with his ultra-accurate passes, Daniels etched his name in college football history by bringing home the most coveted individual hardware in all of college football this year — the Heisman Trophy.

Thursday on Andy Staples On3, Staples chatted it up with Phillip Dukes of the Five-Star Flex podcast about why Daniels stands out among the other quarterbacks in the 2024 NFL Draft class.

“I got a chance to see Jayden Daniels in a leadership role at Elite 11 last year,” Dukes said. “And just seeing how he was kinda coaching some of the younger quarterbacks. And kinda just having that presence about him, where it kind of seemed as if he was getting ready to take a turn. Now, I can’t say I exactly saw it. There was a certain aura in the way about him in the way that he carried himself in that moment.”

Daniels finished with 3,812 yards passing and 40 touchdowns this season, against just four interceptions. He also added 1,134 yards rushing and 10 touchdowns.

“And I think that did carry over to the season. You gotta think about it. The previous year Jalen Carter jacks him up like Homer Simpson did Bart Simpson,” the Five-Star Flex podcast host explained.

Carter picking up Daniels was one of the more famous plays in the past few years of college football. It was an unreal display of superhuman strength from the former Georgia Bulldog.

“Just think about the mental fortitude you have to have as a grown man to be picked up that way,” Dukes continued. “And to bounce back from that season. And you come out and have the type of season that he had. So, if I’m thinking about a quarterback with mental toughness who’s been through some things. Think about at Arizona State when they cleaned out his locker for him.”

Daniels has been through so many obstacles in his career and he’s overcome them with ease, which is exactly why Dukes and so many others think he’ll be a successful quarterback in the National Football League.

“A lot of the [things] that he’s been through previously, he’s been able to overcome. So when I see things like that, I think that attitude and that aura that I kinda saw a little bit earlier. I think it’s gonna play well. I feel like he’s gonna be one of the cooler customers in the draft,” Dukes finished.

On3’s Thomas Goldkamp also contributed to this article.