Jayden Daniels Scouting Report

By: Michael Higgins

(Image courtesy of Jonathan Bauchman/Getty Images)

School: LSU

Class: Senior

Position: QB

HT: 6’4

WT: 210 lbs

Sideline Prospect Ranking: #61

Background: Jayden Daniels was a consensus 4-star high school prospect across the board and was regarded as the best dual-threat quarterback in his recruiting class. He is from San Bernardino, California and attended Cajon High School. He set a CIF Southern Section record with over 14,000 career passing yards. Daniels also led Cajon to back-to-back section championships. Daniels was a finalist in both the Elite 11 quarterback competition as well as The Opening. After tallying all of these accolades, Daniels was selected to participate in the Under Armour All-American Game. Daniels was a highly sought after recruit in PAC 12 territory but schools such as Alabama made a push for him as well. He committed to Arizona State over Alabama, UCLA, and others.

College: Daniels was an immediate starter for the Sun Devils in 2019. As a true freshman, he threw for 17 touchdowns and just two interceptions. His potential was clearly through the roof. Due to the pandemic, Daniels was unable to show a full sample size again until 2021. He started all 13 games for Arizona State in that season and led the PAC 12 in completion percentage. He transferred to LSU ahead of the 2022 season in order to be put on a bigger stage in the SEC. He passed for nearly 3,000 yards and led the Tigers to an SEC Championship Game. He truly helped turn the program around after it looked like they may need to rebuild.

Strengths: Jayden Daniels works great as a play action passer and is always a threat to use his legs. He is a big body that can move just as quick as anyone on the field. He maneuvers well within the pocket and can manipulate it to buy himself time to step up and make a throw. He seems to have a sixth sense within the pocket and can feel pressure without seeing it. His footwork is phenomenal, the ability to manipulate defenders and the pocket while trusting his offensive line is notable. Daniels is a mobile quarterback but does not prematurely abandon the pocket. He is a pass-first quarterback and can sling it all around the yard. He does not force the ball into unfavorable windows and consistently makes the correct decision when getting rid of the football. He is a dangerous player near the hash marks from short to intermediate ranges. His arm strength allows him to access the deep areas of the field as well, but he does not go for this quite as often. Jayden Daniels has no limitations in terms of athleticism or leadership. He is a mentally sharp football player.

Weaknesses: Daniels is sporadic in terms of ball placement and is inconsistent when it comes to throwing accuracy. His accuracy within the first 15 yards is elite, but there is a steep drop off once he tries to access the deeper areas of the field. If he could add a bit more arm strength it would help with accuracy. He has a thin frame, filling out more will help him both with arm strength as well as his ability to stay on the field.

Conclusion: The best quarterbacks in the league develop muscle and a bit more density to their frame. Daniels should be able to do this without taking away any mobility from his game.

Scheme Fit: RPO Heavy

Ideal Role: Developmental Starter

Best Team Fits: NE, DEN, LV

Player Comparison: Desmond Ridder

Player Grade: 81.7