The Las Vegas Raiders have the No. 11 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft and they would love to get a franchise quarterback. Rumors are that the one they want most is LSU signal-caller Jayden Daniels, who new Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce recruited to Arizona State back in 2019, and that buzz grew even louder when Davante Adams posted about the QB on social media after Daniels’ LSU Pro Day.
Davante Adams posts about a Raiders 2024 NFL Draft prospect
With the Raiders in the market for a new QB this season after the disastrous Jimmy Garoppolo experiment and the average-at-best Aidan O’Connell experience, it is eye-opening to see such a prominent player like Davante Adams post about a 2024 NFL Draft QB prospect.
Adams took to his Instagram story to repost a graphic from The Checkdown that featured Jayden Daniels holding up his Heisman Trophy in Times Square with a quote from the LSU Pro Day where the QB said, “My resume speaks for itself.”
Davante Adams’ IG story endorsing Jayden Daniels 👀 pic.twitter.com/C585M7OPiN
— Raiders Report Mitchell Renz (@MitchellRenz365) March 28, 2024
While Adams didn’t add any context to his post, it is interesting to think about what this means for the Raiders in the NFL Draft. We already know that the coach is on board with Daniels, and now if the star receiver is, too, it may suggest a big move on draft day.
With the draft a month out, there are conflicting reports about what the Washington Commanders will do at No. 2. Daniels, North Carolina’s Drake Maye, and Michigan’s JJ McCarthy are all in the mix, per different reports.
If the Commanders don’t take Daniels, there is a thought that both the New England Patriots at No. 3 and Arizona Cardinals at No. 4 could be open to a trade.
At that point, Pierce, Adams, and the Raiders could go get their guy, despite the question marks surrounding him.
Questions about Jayden Daniels
Despite winning the Heisman Trophy this past season, there are question marks about Jayden Daniels ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft.
First, there is the one-year wonder aspect of his production. As mentioned above, he started his career at Arizona State in 2019 where Antonio Pierce was associate head coach and defensive coordinator under Herm Edwards.
In three years with the Sun Devils and his first season with the Bayou Bengals, Daniels never threw for 3,000 yards, ran for 1,000 yards, or tossed more than 17 touchdowns.
The 2023 campaign — Daniels' fifth college season — changed all that as the LSU QB had 3,812 passing yards, 40 touchdowns, four interceptions, and 1,134 rushing yards with 10 rushing TDs.
That begs the question, how much of that is the QB finally coming into his own and how much is a 23-year-old with five seasons of experience playing against 18 and 19-year-olds?
The other issue with Daniels is his weight and playstyle.
He was one of two NFL draft prospects not to submit to height and weight measurements at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine. He’s listed at 6-foot-4, 210 pounds on the LSU website, but there are whispers that the weight is inflated and that he’s not over 200 pounds.
That is a major red flag because of his playstyle. Daniels is a willing and aggressive runner who refuses to slide or go down easily. While the former LSU QB is much faster, his running style is reminiscent of Josh Allen. The problem is, Josh Allen is the same height but 40 or more pounds heavier.
Can Daniels keep playing like he does and last a full season, let alone a decade or more, in the NFL?
That is the biggest question NFL teams like the Raiders have to answer before they pick him.
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