This time last year, [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag]’ name was mostly absent from the draft conversation.
Nobody expected the breakout, Heisman-winning campaign he had in 2023. He entered the year as a projected Day 2 or 3 pick, if not being seen as an undrafted prospect entirely.
Now, that has all changed. Daniels seems like a lock to go in the top 10, and he may even be pushing for the No. 2 spot among quarterbacks. On the most recent episode of First Draft, ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. explained why Daniels has helped his draft stock so much.
“Jayden did it all,” Kiper said per On3’s Nick Kosko. “He had a lot of pressure on him coming in. You think about the defense that let that team down week in and week out. He knew okay, I’ve just put 28, 35, 40 points, it’s not enough. Now I gotta put a drive together late. Yes, he did have [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag] and [autotag]Brian Thomas Jr.[/autotag]
“But when you look at the ability, he had to stress a defense and you saw him in the SEC running away from defensive backs. Just seeing the field. I think his vision is seeing the field to be able to throw with his eyes up on the move and being able to take hit after hit (was impressive).”
Kiper said there were things Daniels needed to show on tape this season, and he also needed to add weight to his frame. He did both of those things, and the result has been a prospect who likely isn’t falling out of the top five.
“He was about 205 maybe, he played at 180 and one point in his career,” Kiper said. “But he did add weight to the frame. We were talking about a fourth rounder last year now the second or third pick overall. I love the fact that he takes shots and he doesn’t throw interceptions. He runs, he’s aggressive, he doesn’t fumble the football.
“We needed to see certain things, we did. Jayden Daniels to me is right in line to be that second pick overall at worst a third pick and like I said, no player that I can remember, (especially) a quarterback, went from a fourth rounder to the second pick overall.”
There’s a lot to like about Daniels as a prospect, and he’s responsible for one of the most rapid draft stock rises we’ve seen in recent years, as Kiper points out.
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