2024 NFL Draft: Caleb Williams vs Jayden Daniels stats highlight why LSU QB may have upper hand against potential no. 1 pick
Caleb Williams is set to become the first overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, with the Chicago Bears all but locked up in the quarterback. The USC product is one of the best prospects in this class and will certainly bring hope to a franchise that desperately needs it.
While there's no doubt that Williams is the best prospect, it's also undeniable that the best quarterback in college football during the 2023 season was Jayden Daniels, the LSU superstar. He won basically every individual award available, and while J.J. McCarthy led his team to the College Football Playoff title, Daniels had an easy run to the Heisman.
Stats pulled by a Raiders fan on Twitter give a glimpse of how statistically speaking, Daniels was the best quarterback during the 2023 season. It's also important to notice that he played with superior talent throughout the year, with the USC defense being in shambles.
Why has Jayden Daniels skyrocketed draft boards? Is he better than Caleb Williams?
Daniels was considered a late-round prospect before the season began and ended up a likely first-round pick after a big year at LSU - if that rings a bell, you're right.
Of course, he's not a Joe Burrow-level prospect, but there's a lot of good in his game to take advantage of. He's an extremely athletic player who can extend plays and make passes without a consistent platform, also taking advantage of his size and speed to scramble and gain yards with his legs.
What he lacks to be a complete prospect is the strength and consistency for some deep passes, something that Caleb Williams has a lot and is also not exactly a weakness in Drake Maye's game.
This isn't a quarterback who followed the typical path of a top prospect. Daniels, a four-star recruit, transferred from Arizona State to LSU amid some controversy, and it wasn't until 2023 that he exploded into the NFL world - last season alone, he won the Heisman Trophy and virtually every other award.
However, there's no doubt once you study the tape: the best quarterback prospect in this class is Williams and by some margin. His awful offensive line didn't help matters, but his level was still great.