Falcons Drafting 'Next Lamar Jackson'? LSU QB Jayden Daniels to Atlanta?
As the Atlanta Falcons prepares for the final game of the season, the team finds itself unsure about who will start at quarterback yet again, but could drafting LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels finally solve that issue?
Daniels is college football’s reigning Heisman winner and has the potential to be a star in the NFL and potentially be the franchise quarterback that the Falcons have needed ever since moving on from Matt Ryan.
Atlanta struggled mightily this season with turning the ball over regardless of who the team has had at quarterback; the duo of Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinicke have combined for 15 interceptions and 12 fumbles, half of which the other team managed to recover.
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This season at LSU, Daniels threw for 3,812 yards, 40 touchdowns, and four interceptions with a remarkable 72.2 completion percentage at 13.6 yards per attempt. However, that may not even be the best part of his game. The dual-threat quarterback also dominated SEC defenses as a rusher, finishing the season with 1,134 yards rushing and 10 touchdowns, picking up 8.4 yards per carry while only fumbling twice and losing the ball once.
Whoever starts for the Falcons next season must protect the ball better and be a better passer so that the team can get more out of weapons such as tight ends Kyle Pitts and Jonnu Smith, as well as talented receiver Drake London and star rookie running back Bijan Robinson in the pass game, Daniels has the potential to be that guy.
However, despite all the positives of Daniels' game, there's a reason why he isn't in the discussion for the No. 1 overall pick or even regarded as a top-two quarterback by most evaluators. So, let's look at some of the negatives.
It took five seasons for Daniels to become a Heisman-caliber quarterback. The longer a player stays in college, the more that scouts will point toward experience, allowing them to bully younger, less developed prospects, which doesn't translate in the NFL, which is filled with grown men. He also doesn't have the most polished passing mechanics at this stage of his career.
With that being said, Daniels took advantage of every season he had in college. The four-star recruit out of high school was a 175-pound kid with a lanky 6-3 frame who began his career with Arizona State hoping to fill out and mature his game to become what it is today as a 6-4 man weighing 210 pounds that improved his completion percentage in each of the past four seasons, going from 58.3 at Arizona State in 2020 to 72.2 with the LSU Tigers this year.
He may not be the top quarterback in this draft class, but it's important to remember how unpredictable the NFL Draft is. To exemplify that, let's compare Daniels' latest season to two well-known former Heisman-winning dual-threat quarterbacks in their final college football seasons.
Marcus Mariota 2014: Starting in the PAC-12 for 15 games
Passing- 4,454 yards, 68.3 completions percentage, 42 touchdowns, four interceptions.
Rushing- 770 yards, 5.7 yards per carry, 15 touchdowns (BONUS: added one receiving), three fumbles.
6-2, 248 pounds, 22 years old. No. 2 overall draft pick.
Lamar Jackson 2017: Starting in the ACC for 13 games
Passing- 3,660 yards, 59.1 completion percentage, 27 touchdowns, 10 interceptions.
Rushing- 1,601 yards, 6.9 yards per carry, eight touchdowns, three fumbles.
6-3, 211 pounds, 21 years old. No. 32 overall draft pick.
Jayden Daniels 2023: Starting in the SEC for 12 games.
Passing- 3,812 yards, 72.2 completion percentage, 40 touchdowns, four interceptions.
Rushing- 1,134 yards, 8.4 yards per carry, 10 touchdowns, two fumbles.
6-4, 210 pounds, 23 years old. Draft TBD.
On paper, Daniels looks like a first-round lock, but as these two quarterbacks prove, at the end of the day, college production only means so much.
Atlanta fans have already experienced the Mariota rollercoaster, albeit later in his career in his final opportunity as a starter. Nevertheless, the most polished passer of this bunch is now a backup while Lamar is about to win his second MVP with the Baltimore Ravens after facing skepticism about whether or not he should even be a quarterback in the NFL during his draft.
The Falcons' front office would be wise to gamble on the reigning Heisman winner who, although older than the aforementioned quarterbacks when entering the league, has already flashed the upside of someone who could be an elite quarterback thanks to his ball security, completion percentage, and yards per carry all being better than both Mariota and Lamar all while playing in the SEC (regarded as college football's toughest defensive conference).
