Former Washington Redskins tight end Chris Cooley appeared as a guest on the “Kevin Sheehan Show” podcast over the weekend, providing his film breakdown of Jayden Daniels.
Cooley began, “So I’m in my third game, and I’m like, this is like a walking highlight tape. You’re just watching throws…and it’s a highlight tape. It’s insane. Jayden Daniels is incredible.”
Pretty early Cooley commented on Daniels being exceptionally agile and knowing how to slide. “Except for when he doesn’t. Because he gets smoked. He’s gonna have to learn that…He knows how to slide. I think he’s just competitive as a runner. He gets freakin’ waxed in the first half of the Ole Miss game, which is a first half that is like 31-28 with unbelievable offense. But he got hit in the face so hard and fumbled and went up in the air…you gotta know that that’s not a hit you need to take. Especially a quarterback, and he took three or four in that game.”
Chris acknowledged Daniels only weighs 210 but quickly added he could gain weight and be up to 225 in two years.
“He can get through progressions, at least can read the defense and identify who’s going to be open and where they’re gonna be open and throw the ball in rhythm and timing that is relatable to that concept.”
“He’s good out of a bunch set. Layering the ball down the field over linebackers on some of the little run-action, play-action throws. To really drive it in over linebackers is awesome. I think he’s very accurate.”
“He takes some risks, but I think he also takes necessary risks in the moments of the game where you’re like, Oh, that’s a bad decision…But a lot of the times, I think he’s got a good flow for the game and how he’s managing exactly that.”
Cooley lauded Daniels ability to run not as good but dangerously good. “He’s obviously a massive problem when he gets out in the open field…It’s not like he’s gonna gain 8 to 12 yards and slide, but he can get you 45 to 50 and outrun the entire defense.”
Touch on the ball is something Cooley liked, but he did notice that Daniels does not possess the strongest of passing arms. “I don’t think he’s got a rifle. He can really let it go; he can throw a ball downfield and throw a ball downfield with a ton of arc – he does a great job on deep balls – but I don’t think he’s got a throw it across the field to 17 yards on a comeback gun. To me, that’s not what I see.”
Concluding his review, Cooley praised Daniels, “I thought overall he’s really freakin’ special. To me, he seemed an incredibly experienced college quarterback. He’s calm in the pocket; his demeanor is absolutely tremendous. He makes big-time throws…I think his discipline is good, his timing is good… he’s a walking freaking highlight reel.”
Cooley asked, “How is this not your pick?”