The general consensus is that LSU’s Jayden Daniels is the third-best quarterback in this year’s NFL Draft class, so he is not expected to go No. 1.
USC’s Caleb Williams is widely regarded as the top quarterback prospect, and North Carolina’s Drake Maye comes after him.
That means Williams and Maye will likely go No. 1 and 2 to the Chicago Bears and Washington Commanders, leaving Daniels to wonder who will draft him.
But the Heisman Trophy winner does not care too much about being taken No. 1, regardless of how much prestige is associated with it.
“Yeah, there’s something special [about being No. 1],” Daniels said, via Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk. “Being viewed as the No. 1 overall player, for that draft, the No. 1 overall pick, there’s some significance to it, but you know, it doesn’t hold a lot of weight for me.”
The New England Patriots own the third overall pick and are in need of a signal-caller, so they could very well take Daniels. Or, they could trade down.
Other teams that could potentially choose Daniels include the New York Giants, Atlanta Falcons and Minnesota Vikings.
Still, Daniels isn’t sweating it.
“I just want to go to the best situation, if that’s the first pick, if that’s the 32nd pick,” Daniels said. “I’m just blessed overall just to be here. No matter where I hear my name called, I’ll be happy.”
Daniels is coming off of a brilliant final season at LSU in which he threw for 3,812 yards, 40 touchdowns and four interceptions while completing 72.2 percent of his passes. He also racked up 1,134 yards and 10 scores on the ground, averaging an incredible 8.4 yards per carry.
“Whatever situation God puts me in, whoever calls my name, that’s the best situation for me, and I plan on making the most of it,” added Daniels.
We’ll see where Daniels ends up in about eight weeks.
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