NFC Executive Has ‘A Little Pause’ In Jayden Daniels For This Reason
With less than a month until the 2024 NFL Draft, it’s pretty much a foregone conclusion that the Chicago Bears will select Caleb Williams as the first overall pick.
The real question is whether Jayden Daniels or Drake Maye is selected by the Washington Commanders with the No. 2 pick.
Both quarterbacks went through their individual pro days last week in the final, in-person pre-draft preparations.
Daniels completed 52-of-56 passes with three incompletions and one drop, but one anonymous NFC executive reportedly wasn’t 100% sold on his workout performance, according to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer.
“I didn’t think the workout just blew anyone away,” the NFC executive said, per Breer. “There was some mechanical stuff that didn’t look real clean. I thought the deep ball was kind of all over the place. When he sets his feet and he’s balanced, there’s a really good arm there. It’s a really natural stroke. But he missed some throws, some locations. … What gives you a little pause is maybe he’s not as polished as a thrower as you maybe would have thought.”
While the NFC executive may not believe Daniels had a great pro day, his former LSU coach Brian Kelly thought the signal caller “left no stone unturned.”
“I think in terms of the athletic ability in terms of his ability to master the skill set of playing quarterback … I think he’s going to do just fine,” Kelly told reporters at LSU’s pro day on March 27.
“I think that the hay is out of the barn, so to speak, as it relates to the evaluation process of Jayden Daniels. “I think he left no stone unturned with the performance that he had throwing the football.”
One NFL offensive coordinator apparently agreed with Kelly and not the NFC executive, according to Breer.
“(Daniels) looked good. He showed his fluidity and athleticism,” the anonymous offensive coordinator reportedly told Breer. “The mid- to short-range accuracy is really easy for him.”
If the Commanders do select Daniels with the No. 2 pick, the Patriots could select Maye with the third overall pick — or go in a completely different route.
New England had nine people in attendance at Daniels’ and Maye’s pro days last week and met with both prospects prior to their workouts.
The NFL Draft starts on Thursday, April 25, and concludes on Saturday, April 27.