LSU Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels just had a historic final college season and now he’s ready for the NFL Draft. Before he puts on his best suit and takes center stage in late April, though, he's going to look to impress at the 2024 NFL Combine in Indianapolis.
It goes without saying, but Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, J.J. McCarthy and of course Daniels are expected to go fairly early in the first round. Despite Williams having the most buzz, some think Daniels could end up being the best quarterback in this class. His stock continues to rise and the hype continues to grow and for good reason. However, will he be throwing at the NFL Combine?
#LSU QB Jayden Daniels, one of the NFL Draft’s top QBs, plans to throw at his Pro Day rather than the NFL Combine, sources say. He’ll be in Indy for interviews and meetings, but not work out. pic.twitter.com/nci8RXI9Kr
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 26, 2024
LSU QB Jayden Daniels has decided to not throw at the NFL Combine
Daniels will be going through some of the other activities in Indy, like interviews with teams, but he won't be tossing the pigskin around like some of the other QBs. That's right, Daniels won't be throwing at the Combine, saving things for his Pro Day.
In recent memory, Zach Wilson amazed at his BYU Pro Day. No one cared about him not throwing at the Combine. If that tells you anything, it’s important to remember the tape is more important than any Pro Day/Combine. With Daniels and Williams, there’s not much left to prove about the ability that they have. Of course dazzling at the NFL Combine doesn’t hurt, but these guys are cemented as must-have guys regardless. On the flip side, we saw Anthony Richardson dominate the NFL Combine last year and he ended up getting taken off the board No. 4 overall.
This past season, Daniels passed for 3,812 yards, 40 touchdowns and just four interceptions. As a runner, Daniels had 1,134 yards and 10 touchdowns. Daniels did all of that on a poor Tigers team as well. Now, Daniels is poised to be a Top 6 pick, with plenty of mock drafts predicting the Patriots to grab him at No. 3 overall. New England could trade out of that spot, however.
The Giants will certainly be linked to guys like Daniels as the future for Daniel Jones gets murkier. Jones suffered two concerning injuries this past season, including his torn ACL in Week 9. Daniels has been mentioned as a potential Danny Dimes replacement and those talks will intensify as we get closer to the first round getting here.