The 2024 NFL Draft will start with the Chicago Bears taking USC quarterback Caleb Williams, and there’s a good chance LSU QB Jayden Daniels will come off the board shortly after. If ESPN analyst Louis Riddick was still in an NFL front office, though, he would likely reverse these positions.
Louis Riddick loves the LSU NFL draft prospect
After the LSU Pro Day where Jayden Daniels slung the ball around to his receivers (in shorts and t-shirts with no defenders), Riddick had glowing praise of the Heisman Trophy winner.
“I thought that this guy should be QB No. 1, but I just wanted to see him in person,” Riddick said on the GetUp! morning show. “And after looking at him in person, there is no doubt in my mind. And that’s not to be disrespectful or to be disparaging towards Caleb Williams, but I think Jayden Daniels is quarterback one for sure.”
"I thought that this guy should be QB No. 1. … After looking at him in person, there is no doubt in my mind."
—@LRiddickESPN on Jayden Daniels' pro day pic.twitter.com/L1xS1UP9yS
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) March 28, 2024
While there are varying opinions about who QB2 is in the 2024 NFL Draft — Daniels, Drake Maye, or JJ McCarthy – Reddick is one of the few (and possibly only) major analyst saying that Daniels is a better NFL prospect than Williams.
Let’s see how they stack up.
Jayden Daniels vs. Caleb Williams
Both Jayden Daniels (Arizona State) and Caleb Williams (Oklahoma) started their college career at different schools than they finished at, and found the most success at their second stop. Both won the Heisman Trophy and put up some incredible numbers.
In 2023, Daniels posted had 3,812 passing yards, 40 touchdowns, four interceptions, and 1,134 rushing yards with 10 rushing TDs. Williams had 3,633 passing yards, 30 touchdowns, five interceptions, and 142 rushing yards with 11 rushing TDs.
The big difference here is that 2023 was the first time in five collegiate seasons Daniels had over 3,000 passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards. In Williams’ 2022 Heisman season, he put up 4,5537 passing yards, 42 touchdowns, and five interceptions.
Williams is 6-foot-1, 214 pounds, and he is a pocket passer with some mobility. He showed his high-level skills for two seasons in college, and any knocks on him are purely off-the-field concerns.
When listening to the Caleb Williams criticism, it’s all about esoteric issues. He paints his fingernails, has a pink cell phone case, he is rumored to want an ownership stake in his NFL team and cried in his mother’s arms after a big loss last season. To some, those facts mean he’s not cut out to be a franchise QB. To most, it’s ridiculous nitpicking.
For Daniels, the perceived problems are more of the on-field variety.
He was a one-year wonder in his fifth college season, which makes you question if his improvement was real or if he was just much more experienced than the competition.
Also, he was one of only two 2024 NFL Draft prospects who refused to get weighed and measured at the combine, calling into question how real his program height and weight of 6-foot-4, 210 pounds really is.
And if he is under 200 pounds, his kamikaze running style could become a massive liability at the pro level.
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