Well before the 2024 Draft order was even set, the long-held assumption among fans, analysts, scouts and team executives was that USC Trojans quarterback Caleb Williams would be the 1st overall pick in the Draft. And now with the NFL Draft less than one week away, the worst-kept secret around the league is that the Chicago Bears will indeed be taking Williams with the number one pick. But that doesn't mean that everyone around the NFL subscribes to this line of thinking, especially in a draft with potentially six quarterbacks who may be Round 1 picks.

Among those other five quarterbacks who may end up being selected in the 1st round of the 2024 NFL Draft in addition to Caleb Williams is LSU QB Jayden Daniels, who has been one of the fastest risers of the pre-draft process. In fairness, Daniels' rise that began during his remarkable Heisman Trophy campaign during the 2023 college football season. As things stand right now, Daniels will likely be the 2nd overall pick in the Draft, putting an end to the Washington Commanders search for their franchise quarterback. But one AFC scout is (anonymously) on record as saying that they would take Daniels with the 1st overall pick, and the reasons they gave for why they preferred Daniels over Williams are damning.

“If I was picking, I would pick Jayden Daniels No. 1,” one AFC scout said while preparing to douse a somewhat controversial statement in lighter fluid (h/t Tom Pelissero of NFL.com). “Better athlete. I think he loves football more. I believe that he's just a better f—ing player. And I think he's on the rise and Caleb's kind of going lateral.”

He's just a better f—ing player is about as direct as you could be when evaluating two players, and stating that Daniels loves football more than Williams was the cherry on top of the Jayden Daniels Hype-Train Sundae. Now for all we know, this anonymous scout could end up being proven correct, but of course, we won't know for certain until we get the time to watch both players careers unfold. How successful Jayden Daniels is in the NFL may not come down to his skillset, his weapons, or his fit with whatever team it is that drafts him… it could all depend on how healthy he can stay while attempting to withstand the demands and physical toll of a 17-game NFL schedule.

“He's gained 20 pounds in two years. The question is the durability with the amount of contact he takes,” says an NFC executive. “He's had a concussion (in last November's loss to Alabama), an ankle (played through ailments in 2021 and '22). He needs to add some body armor.”

Daniels may have already bulked up considerably, but adding twenty pounds of weight still hasn't eased the concerns of some decision makers around the league.

“The biggest thing I always worried about is [Daniels is] f—ing skinny,” an AFC executive shared with Pelissero. “He didn't take a picture at the combine, he didn't weigh in at the combine — that's all by f—ing design. He knows he's f—ing skinny. You worry about him getting hurt.”

Putting the insane number of F-bombs aside, it's clear we're at the point in the pre-draft process where nitpicking prospects becomes commonplace. Whether it's fears about Caleb Williams' NIL earnings, Drake Maye's “out of whack” feet, JJ McCarthy's scheme at Michigan, or Jayden Daniels' messed up elbow, everybody is sifting through every bit of available information right, and hey, in the end, that's their job. But despite all of these concerns, we're looking at a draft class that could be end up being highlighted by the spectacular careers of it's quarterbacks, including the “f—ing skinny” Jayden Daniels.