NFL Reporters Calling For LSU’s Jayden Daniels Being The #1 Pick

We've finally reached the month of the NFL Draft, and the hot takes are reaching a boiling point.

After the Chicago Bears traded away former First Round selection, quarterback Justin Fields, they've pretty much made their intentions clear; that they will be taking a quarterback with the #1 overall pick. Most of the expectations, and reports, are that the quarterback they will select is USC's Caleb Williams. However there are plenty of commentators and experts shifting the focus to another quarterback that they believe the Bears should take instead of Williams.

That quarterback is LSU's Jayden Daniels.

Daniels is the reigning Heisman Trophy winner (and while Caleb Williams also has a Heisman, he won his in 2022) and statistically had a better year than Williams did last season. This past year, Williams threw for 3,333 yards, 30 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions. He ran for 142 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground. While Daniels threw for 3,812 yards (more than Williams), 40 touchdowns (more than Williams), and 4 interceptions (less than Williams. Daniels also blew Williams rushing yards out of the water, and he ran for over 1,000 yards for LSU.

Beyond the stats on the paper, the "intangibles" between the two quarterbacks are are at odds too. Where some reporters say that Daniels is more ready to play in the NFL today than Williams is. ESPN's Dan Orlovsky has recently made a very passionate case for Jayden Daniels being the superior NFL prospect.

Orlovsky isn't the only one arguing for Daniels ahead of Williams. Former Director of Pro Personnel with Washington and Philadelphia, Louis Riddick is also making the argument for Daniels. Recently saying:

"Invest in him, make sure you earn his trust, because he will pay it back tenfold with his play on the field and the way he’ll elevate his game both as a player and as a leader. People who I trust who know this kid the best said ‘look out for him in the next 2-3 years in the NFL. He’s going to take it by storm the same way CJ did in year one. They’re so similar to me."

Last year, Riddick was one of the voices pushing CJ Stroud as a better quarterback prospect than Alabama's Bryce Young. In the 2023 NFL Draft, Young went #1, and Stroud went #2. Stroud would go on to be the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, and guided the Houston Texans into the playoffs. While Young and the Carolina Panthers went 2-15, and saw their coach get fired during the season.

This year, it looks like two quarterbacks will again go #1 and #2 overall, will they play out the exact same way?