1) Jayden Daniels had a solid workout. Daniels opted not to throw at the NFL Scouting Combine, explaining to the media that he wanted NFL teams to come to him at LSU’s pro day so that his teammates — including Tigers players not invited to the combine — could have a bigger showcase in front of NFL scouts.
Measuring in at 6-foot-3 5/8 and 210 pounds with 9 3/8-inch hands, Daniels wore a No. 3 shirt during his pro day throwing session in honor of his teammate, Greg Brooks Jr., who was diagnosed with a rare form of brain cancer during the 2023 season. Brooks has since had the tumor removed and is in recovery.
Daniels didn’t run a 40-yard dash or do any of the other athletic testing, opting simply to throw Wednesday in Baton Rouge — although Daniels did tell NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe afterward that he thinks he could have run faster than LSU receivers Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr., in spite of both registering times in the 4.3-second range during the pre-draft process.
Working with private QB coach Taylor Kelly, who helped Daniels put together his pro-day script, the LSU product completed 52 of his 56 passes. Most of his misfires, plus a few other slightly off-target throws, came on deeper passes and throws outside the numbers. He appeared to get better as the session went on, hitting Nabers on a pretty “go” ball for his final pass.
After joining Nabers in the end zone for a mini celebration following that final connection, Daniels launched a celebratory throw into the rafters. But was it a special performance overall? NFL Network analyst Bucky Brooks stopped short of offering that level of praise for Daniels’ showing.
“I can’t say that it’s been an A-plus workout, but it’s been solid,” Brooks said on NFL+ after Daniels’ throwing session. “We’ve seen the ball hit the ground a few times. If you liked Jayden Daniels coming in, there’s nothing that has taken place today that would discourage you from doing that.
“If you had concerns about his frame, his durability based on what he looked like at LSU, you’re still going to have those concerns because he’s 210 pounds. It really is a matter of being able to imagine what he could be at his best, and can we put an offense around him that would allow him to play to his strengths, while also allowing the team to stick to their identity on offense?”
Daniels’ pro day session in and of itself might not have been a game-changer for his outlook, but he was pleased with the results on the whole.
“Consistency, off-platform and in the pocket, that I’m able to get my feet underneath me,” Daniels said when asked by Wolfe what he hoped he achieved during the session. “I’m still making throws consistently — same spiral, same trajectory, the ball is not dying on me, or stuff like that. That’s the biggest thing I’ve been working on.”
2024-03-27 21:40:00
#Learned #LSUs #pro #day
