Today was officially the beginning of the 2024 NFL combine, and even despite his decision to opt out of the drills, LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels continues to soar up draft boards. Most recently, analyst Dan Orlovsky made the case for the talented signal caller to go No. 1 overall.
NFL analyst makes case for LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels as top overall draft selection
At this point, it’s been years since USC quarterback Caleb Williams was first dubbed the favorite to go No. 1 overall in the 2024 NFL draft. Now, still to this day, just about everyone holds true to this belief.
However, after a significant rise in draft stock over the last year or so, select analysts are starting to wonder if there might be another candidate who deserves a chance.
Earlier today, Dan Orlovsky, a former NFL quarterback and current analyst spoke on ESPN and had some interesting thoughts on who the Chicago Bears should select with the first overall selection in the 2024 draft.
“Jayden Daniels should be the guy,” Orlovsky said on Get Up. “If I were the Chicago Bears right now I would take Jayden Daniels out of LSU.”
Prior to the 2023 college football season, Daniels was widely viewed as having the potential to be a first rounder, but was more likely to go in the second or third. Then, immediately following his historic season, people began discussing the Heisman Trophy winner as a potential top-15 selection.
Now, just about every mock draft you see has him going within the top-three and as high as No. 2 overall. While it’s unlikely that he goes No. 1 to the Bears, it’s certainly interesting to hear the conversations starting, especially when you consider how far he’s come in the last year or so.
The competition
As talented as Jayden Daniels is and has the potential to be in the NFL, he’s not the only stellar quarterback in the 2024 draft. In fact, this is one of the better groups of quarterbacks that we’ve seen in recent memory, and we could see as many as five go in the first round.
By far the biggest name to know is Caleb Williams out of USC. Having won the Heisman Trophy in 2022 as a sophomore, he’s more than proven himself as a playmaker, and few players in college football have been more productive than him over the last three seasons. Throughout his career, he’s thrown the ball 1,099 times for 10,082 yards and 93 touchdowns, while adding 960 yards and 27 touchdowns on the ground.
Aside from Williams, there’s no shortage of elite quarterbacks available. Drake Maye of North Carolina and JJ McCarthy out of Michigan are both being looked at as consistent top-10 players and easily could be in consideration for the top overall selection.
Furthermore, in the off-chance a non-quarterback is selected at No. 1, keep an eye out for wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr, a standout from Ohio State.
As of today, February 29, 2024, LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels has the second best odds to go No. 1 overall, tied with Drake Maye at +750, according to DraftKings. Interestingly enough, the 2023 Heisman Trophy winner also has the second best odds to go No. 2 overall to the Washington Commanders, sitting at +105.
The 2024 NFL draft will take place from April 25 until April 27 in Detroit, MI, and will be available to watch live on NFL Network, ABC, ESPN and ESPN Deportes.
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