College football’s regular season has come to an end, which means we’re just five months away from the upcoming NFL Draft.
The Athletic’s Dane Brugler released his predictions for the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft on Wednesday. Brugler has the Tampa Bay Buccaneers selecting Louisiana State QB Jayden Daniels with the No. 7 overall pick. Here is what Brugler had to say about the theoretical selection:
Offensively and defensively, the Buccaneers are a middle-of-the-road team, and they’ll have several interesting roster decisions to make this offseason. For one, Tampa Bay will be in the mix to select this draft’s QB3, and Daniels could be it. He has a dynamic skill set to create explosive plays with his arm and legs.
At the beginning of the season, I wouldn’t have guessed that Daniels would appear in the top 10 of my first mock draft. But in studying his tape and seeing his continual improvements, you start to run out of reasons why he doesn’t belong. I think several teams slotted in the top 10 will think the same way.
In a draft loaded with first-round caliber quarterbacks, it’s no surprise the Bucs might be eyeing one with an early round pick. Selecting a player like Daniels is certainly not out of the realm of possibility for Tampa Bay.
The LSU quarterback is in the midst of arguably the best season among any college football player right now. Daniels, a potential Heisman Trophy candidate, led the Tigers to a 9-3 record overall and 6-2 record in the Southeastern Conference.
Daniels fell just shy of 4,000 passing yards this season, but the quarterback ran for more than 1,100 yards on the ground and had 50 total touchdowns (40 passing, 10 rushing). He is the first SEC quarterback to rush for 1,000 yards and pass for 3,500 yards in a season since Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel.
Daniels is a finalist for four national awards — Walter Camp, Davey O’Brien, Maxwell and Unitas Golden Arm. He most likely will be named a finalist for the Heisman Trophy Award when the ballot is released Dec. 4.
Brugler has Daniels as the third quarterback taken off the board in the first edition of his mock draft. Southern California QB Caleb Williams and North Carolina QB Drake Maye are expected to be selected in the first two picks.
Daniels’ success in Baton Rouge has been uncannily similar to former LSU QB Joe Burrow. Both quarterbacks transferred schools after three college seasons, and each had mediocre performances in their first season with the Tigers.
Their legacies were left in their final seasons with the team. Both Burrow and Daniels produced 50 touchdowns in their final year with LSU and solidified themselves as one of the most talented quarterbacks in SEC history.
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