Jayden Daniels was undoubtedly one of the best players in college football this past season.
The LSU quarterback’s Heisman candidacy will be decided on Saturday, Dec. 9, at 8:00 p.m. ET. Whether he wins or not, it will unlikely affect his draft stock. He has positioned himself as one of the top quarterbacks selected in April.
While Daniels might not be the prospect Caleb Williams (USC) or Drake Maye (UNC) is, he’s still made a case for himself, so much so that ESPN’s Kirk Herbsreit believes that the LSU Tigers quarterback will be the steal of the 2024 NFL Draft.
“I think Jayden Daniels is gonna be the steal of the draft..
Everybody is gonna talk about Caleb Williams and Drake Maye but the guy to look out for is Jayden Daniels” ~ @KirkHerbstreit #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/fS0Yo8nFTr
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) December 8, 2023
“If you get a Jayden Daniels, and I think Jayden Daniels, to me, is gonna be the steal of the draft,” Herbstreit said during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show Friday. “I know — you can tease me about Jayden Daniels — I’m just saying…can I say this? All of you guys are on gonna have all your NFL gurus on for the draft, and they’re all gonna fall in love with Drake Maye. And they’re all gonna fall in love with Caleb Williams.
“And I’m just telling you, as we sit here right now, before the personal workouts and the combined workout, the guy to look for is Jayden Daniels. With the way the NFL game is trending, the style that it is with the quarterback, the ability to create and improvise and throw the ball on their own and be that guy. To me, Jayden Daniels…I don’t know where he’ll go when he’s done with his workouts, but you put him in (Gillette) Stadium with Bill Belichick and with that defense, and you get a weapon or two to go with those tight ends, there’s a lot to like.”
Daniels, recently awarded the Associated Press Player of the Year, had a remarkable season. He passed for 3,812 yards and threw 40 touchdowns in 12 games. Moreover, he rushed for 1,134 yards and scored 10 touchdowns. His total of 50 touchdowns, including a 2-point conversion pass, makes him responsible for the highest number of points in the nation, 302.
So, what Daniels will ultimately become in the NFL remains to be seen, but clearly, he has a believer in Herbstreit.