Pre-Season Scouting Report: JT Daniels
When talking about Georgia starting quarterback JT Daniels, there is no denying that he made the Bulldogs a much better football team to close the 2020 season. The traits and the experience alone of Daniels allowed the former Mater Dei High School star to excel at a high level in his four-game run as the starter last season.
Since the closing of the 2020 season, many have been wondering whether or not Daniels will be the quarterback to help Georgia get to the next level and finally get over the hump and win a national championship. Many believe that he has all the tools to lead the Georgia offense in 2021, but there is also a portion that still has questions about the junior signal-caller.
Over the last few weeks, Lorenz Leinweber of SI's Draft Bible has been looking at some of Georgia's best prospects for the 2022 NFL Draft and crafting scouting reports. As many would expect, Daniels was one of the top guys for Georgia as we head into the fall.
Leinweber commended Daniels for his "loose, twitchy off-platform" throwing as Daniels can adjust his arm angles to avoid defenders swatting at the ball. This is a tool that many felt Stetson Bennett lacked in his stint under center as many of his passes were batted down at the line of scrimmage due to a lack of height, poor arm angles and off timing. Leinweber wrote:
"He possesses an NFL arm, which he uses aggressively, pushing the ball vertically on a frequent basis in Todd Monken’s offense. The former five-star recruit likes to exploit favorable matchups downfield."
The deep ball of Daniels helped him burst onto the scene in his Georgia debut as he passed for over 400 yards in a win over Mississippi State, in which Georgia took advantage of his "NFL arm" with the deep ball. However, what separates him from other quarterbacks is his precision when throwing short to intermediate passes.
"Daniels throws to leverage and makes tight window passes in between linebackers and safeties. He manipulates defenders with his eyes and is comfortable making full-field reads." -- Leinweber
Those on-field intangibles translate into success in the tape room as he has progressed when making reads of the defense due to his high work rate in the film room.
Those were the "pros" when watching Daniels in 2021, but he also has some concerns and points of improvement if he wishes to improve his draft stock.
Daniels will put the ball into dangerous spots as "his aggressive nature often gets the better of him," Leinweber says when watching the California native taking shots downfield. However, Daniels has shown improvement in the turnover department since his time as a true freshman at USC, when he threw 10 interceptions next to 14 touchdowns. While 10 touchdowns to just three interceptions are suitable for the young quarterback, it is just a small sample size to go off of.
"When extending from within or outside of the pocket, he tends to get too greedy, taking sacks and hits or making dangerous throws. He is toesy in the pocket and gets loosey-goosey with his footwork, failing to set his feet." -- Leinweber
Before and after Daniels' as the starter, Brooks Austin of Dawgs Daily constantly pointed out footwork as a point of improvement for the Irvine, Calif. native. Issues with footwork can often affect his passes and accuracy as he tends to not set his feet, taking power and precision away from the throw.
Leinweber described Daniels' tendency to miss passes and an inability to "control the football" as "frustrating." This suggests the intangibles are there for the junior quarterback, but it is the little things that he needs to clean up if he hopes to improve his stock in 2021.
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