Not too long ago, I wrote about whether the New York Giants should target Caleb Williams or Drake Maye in the NFL Draft, since the Giants had to pick in the top three at the time. Fast forward to today and the Giants now have the sixth pick in the draft and the top two quarterback conversation turned top three when LSU’s Jayden Daniels moved up the draft board. Daniels had a 2023 season full of explosive plays with his hands or feet en route to winning that season’s Heisman Trophy. LSU’s 2023 offense was unique in terms of the personnel surrounding Daniels. He had two elite wide receivers in Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr., an inconsistent rushing attack (outside of Daniels himself) and an offensive line with more holes than Swiss cheese. After his first three seasons at Arizona State, Daniels transferred to LSU, finishing with 6,724 yards, 57 touchdowns, 7 interceptions, 2,329 passing yards and 21 receptions over two years. Part of that incredible rise came from LSU’s scheme that set him up for success, but Daniels himself has made strides rarely seen at the college level.
As a deep passer, Daniels in particular found his rhythm and thrived, especially as a touch passer in coverage. He’s been shown enough on tape to entice NFL teams to seriously consider him a top-10, even top-5 prospect. For all that Daniels does exceptionally well, he still has flaws that give a four-season tape a strange 2020. However, there are some flaws that are legitimate concerns. Daniels has a very slim frame and is two inches taller than Lamar Jackson, but also the same weight. Normally it’s not something I wouldn’t worry about, like with Kyler Murray or Jackson himself, but Daniels prefers to avoid contact and welcomes it. This season, Daniels has taken several oyster-breaking hits that have looked bad, and while he has stayed healthy this year, there shouldn’t be much to be expected if he chooses to continue those hits at the next level.
This is a problem that can be corrected and trained. Jackson is a great example of a quarterback who got beat in college (though not as much as Daniels) and started sliding or going out to avoid contact. That comes with being a potential franchise quarterback and understanding that the best talent is availability. Accuracy has been inconsistent for Daniels, but that’s another issue that I think can be fixed by improving his mechanics. Quarterbacks tend to see jumps there in preparation for the draft and the first two NFL seasons, so the Giants just have to ask if they think Daniels will improve. There’s one aspect of Daniels’ game that really worries me because there’s not much you can do about it: speed. Daniels has average speed that makes me hesitant to be a franchise quarterback.
If your answer is no, then he’s simply not worth the big capital investment, which was my opinion of Daniel Jones when he left Duke. Danielsand has better speed than Jonesand is willing and able to use his legs as a weapon, so I rate him more than Jones. All that said, I think Daniels needs to be in the conversation for the Giants if they go sixth. If the Giants do trade, I think it has to be for Maye or Williams. The risk is higher with Daniels, but he has made enough snaps for NFL teams to truly feel he can be their franchise quarterback and is worth the capital..
