For those who are interested in insights from people with actual credentials, this guy is the Dir. of Football Ops and Player Personnel for the East-West Shrine Bowl and founder of a scouting service. (Yeah, I know, "Shrine Bowl? He's not even good enough to get the Senior Bowl!")
The Heisman Trophy winner is only continuing to get better
www.cbssports.com
Excerpts:
"But even the most bullish evaluators on Daniels didn't predict that he would make the seismic leap toward reaching his previously untapped potential in just one offseason.
Over the past 20 years, only one other quarterback has seen similar substantial development year over year: fellow LSU alum Joe Burrow.
Burrow and Daniels are the only two quarterbacks in the last 20 years (minimum 400 drop backs) that increased their adjusted completion percentage by 4% or more AND their yards per attempt by 3.0 or more. And beyond just those two metrics, Daniels also improved in his accuracy downfield, ball placement across the field, decision-making in the red zone and decision-making as a runner."
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"Daniels' ability to improve is almost as exciting to NFL evaluators as his improvement has been, in part because of how he's improved. Often times, NFL evaluators and those in the quarterback training space talk about the areas where quarterbacks can and cannot get better.
Footwork, timing, mechanics and pre-snap play diagnosis are the key areas many quarterbacks, with great coaching and time, can make substantial strides. Anticipation and overall accuracy can improve as well in conjunction with the aforementioned factors, plus repetitions and game action.
But deep-ball placement, post-snap timing and decision-making, and improvisation are all traits that rarely develop for quarterbacks at any level. And if they do, it's over a substantial period of time unlocking the confidence within a quarterback. But for Daniels, he actualized that potential in one offseason in route to winning the Heisman Trophy."
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"The biggest strides on film came from two key areas: a rhythmic, balanced full body throwing motion and release from a variety of platforms, and a confidence as a downfield passer he didn't have in years past. Confidence as a passer leads to trust in fundamentals and natural talent, and Daniels was oozing with confidence as a pocket and downfield passer for all of 2023.
Maybe more impressive, and potentially more important for his NFL transition, was his ability as a play progressor from the pocket. We often talk and hear about college quarterbacks making "NFL throws" like the coveted backside dig route.
The plays in the clips above all are on Daniels' second or third progression, requiring the wherewithal to stay balanced and calm as pressure comes into the A-gap, and the footwork and mechanics to adjust his body to finish the throw with ample velocity.
The LSU offense drastically dropped the amount of play action they used, likely in part because they trusted Daniels to work through progressions with his eyes on the defense post-snap. And Daniels' vision, anticipation and timing growth as a pocket passer proved them right, as he finished the season as one of the best mid-field throwers, especially on dig, in and post routes, in all of college football."
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"NFL teams aren't drafting Caleb Williams or Jayden Daniels or Drake Maye for what they are now, but for what they can and hopefully will become.
And for Daniels, while a Burrow comparison may be optimistic, NFL teams know that, whatever their projected upside is for him to reach, he's given them every reason to feel confident he'll hit that ceiling and then some."