What Would the Giants Be Getting in LSU QB Jayden Daniels?
The New York Giants are among a group of NFL franchises that are considered to be in need of a quarterback as the 2024 NFL Draft draws near. Yet, the acquisition of their next gunslinger might require a move upward on the draft board, and one prospect they could do that for is LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels.
A multi-award-winning senior and the 2023 Heisman Trophy winner, Daniels is entering the draft pool as arguably the most talented quarterback in this year’s class. He staked his final claim for the professional level with a career-high stat line this past fall, posting 236 completions for 3,812 yards, 40 touchdowns, and four interceptions while adding 1,134 yards and ten scores on the ground.
After having a successful freshman season that was then blemished by roster attrition and coaching turnover at Arizona State, the 23-year-old transferred to the Tigers in 2022 and saw an immense uptick in his production as the starter. Daniels amassed two 2,900+ yard seasons with 57 combined touchdowns and led the LSU to a bowl game this past season.
Caroline Fenton, host of the LockedOn LSU Podcast, who has followed Daniels since he arrived at the school, says this athletic explosion has resulted from the growth in Brian Kelly’s offensive system that has elevated Daniels into a top-tier, intelligent dual-threat quarterback.
“The biggest thing with Jaden Daniels, at least in the first half of the 2022 season, was if the first read wasn't there, he'd run,” Felnton told the LockedOn Giants podcast. “That immediately, if he dropped back, he would run, or he would defer to receiver maybe five, six yards downfield rather than taking a bit of a riskier shot and hitting a wide-open receiver 20 yards downfield. He was a lot more conservative and very apprehensive about throwing the football.
“And one of the focuses in the offseason between the 22 and 2023 seasons was that Brian Kelly mentioned was to make Jaden Daniels a better passer without taking Superman's cape away. They did exactly just that.
"Jaden Daniels has the best deep ball in all of college football. Just the ability to read defenses. The ability to drop back and stay calm in the pocket and complete plays even under pressure. The ability to extend plays under pressure with his legs. How elusive he is that he's able to fit in these teeny tiny little pockets.”
Fenton also highlighted the importance of Daniels’s passing progression, post-snap processing, football IQ, and how it often works at its best when the protection breaks down around him. She pointed to a game against Florida, when Daniels was faced with constant pressure but kept his composure in the pocket, improvised and went off-script when needed, and continued the play with his strong arm or shifty legs.
In that game, Daniels collected 350 yards in the air and 200 on the ground and found the elusiveness and off-platform throwing ability needed to survive in the SEC and continue succeeding in the NFL.
“I don't care if it's the SEC, and I don't care if it's in the NFL. You're not going to win very many football games if you cannot throw the football or if your quarterback is just electing to run it in every single down,” Fenton said.
“That is what we really saw Jaden Daniels grow with from year one to year two…whether it's a, you know, defensive tackle coming right at him or whether it's a linebacker that's trying to come for his knees when he's running, he's really not phased by defensive pressure… He always is at this same level, calm, cool, and collected, never gets too high and never gets too low.”
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