David Levine
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Joined: 7/14/2007
From: Las Vegas
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Which quarterback has the most impressive trait?
Scouts had a lot of different answers here. Williams' field vision. Maye's second-effort mobility. McCarthy's efficiency. But it was Daniels' deep ball that was mentioned the most.
"The dude's touch down the field is really special," said an NFC area scout.
Daniels -- who officially declared for the draft on Monday -- first showed off his deep accuracy during his freshman year at Arizona State, and it has developed very well over the course of his college career. In 2023, Daniels threw 20 touchdown passes -- and zero interceptions -- on passes over 20 air yards. That's six more than anyone else, and 11 of them were aired out 30-plus yards downfield.
"A lot of these [QBs] have special traits, but his deep ball should be glorified," said another NFC scout who covers the SEC.
Daniels' ability to layer the ball over the top of defenders and how well he leads LSU's wide receivers -- including top prospects Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr. -- into space is truly elite. His 99.6 QBR throwing to vertical routes led the nation this season.
Who is the biggest QB riser in the class so far?
It's Daniels again. In fact, no player, regardless of position, has risen more on my board this season than the 2023 Heisman Trophy winner. He's now No. 8 overall for me.
Over the summer, Daniels was receiving Day 3 grades from National Scouting Report and BLESTO Scouting Services, which NFL teams staff for early scouting assessments. One of those area scouts involved said in a text, "Daniels was a fun Day 3-type guy who had some nice traits but hadn't put it all together. Well, he put it together this year."
An LSU staffer told me that Daniels was the hardest worker during the team's summer practices and workouts, dedicated to not only adding strength to his lean 6-foot-4 frame but also improving his play from within the pocket. Coaches emphasized keeping his eyes up and down the field. It paid off, with Daniels throwing for 40 touchdown passes and four interceptions while completing 72.2% of his passes.
The class's QB3 was something of a debate all season, with Ewers, McCarthy and Sanders all getting some consideration there. But for now, Daniels is secure as my third-ranked quarterback. He continued to improve each week, and it doesn't hurt that he was the best QB in college football while battling it out in the competitive SEC.
"It's not crazy to think there are teams that will have Daniels as QB2," said an NFC general manager. "If you are building a team where the quarterback being mobile is a priority, Daniels could easily be your pick over Maye."
I spoke to another NFL exec late last week about the quarterbacks, and after 45 minutes of tossing around names, he said, "I think you like Daniels more than you realize!" His game fits well with the NFL, and yes, there is a path to him rising to QB2.
Is there someone whom teams are higher on than consensus?
"You know who's going to go higher than anyone thinks?" asked an AFC East scout last week via text. "J.J. McCarthy."
The Michigan quarterback is loved by scouts who have studied his game and have seen the junior passer throw in person. McCarthy is efficient; he has posted a QBR of 89.2, good for third in the nation, while throwing 19 touchdown passes to four interceptions.
"I think a lot of people haven't done a deep dive on McCarthy yet," said a scout who covers the Michigan area, "but when they do, he's going to rise. He would dominate an event like the Senior Bowl."
The main knock on McCarthy's game this year has more to do with the Wolverines than his skill set. Michigan's scheme doesn't ask for a lot of pure passing from him. The Wolverines run the ball early and often, with McCarthy attempting only 287 passes this season (77th in the FBS) and averaging 19.3 per game against their three ranked opponents toward the end of the season. He didn't attempt a single pass in the second half of a 24-15 win over Penn State in mid-November!
And because Michigan throws only 44.5% of the time (124th out of 133 teams), McCarthy hasn't been able to showcase his passing ability to a high level. That has led to questions the junior simply can't answer on tape. He must rely on the pre-draft process, should he declare for the draft. As of now, McCarthy sits at No. 19 overall on my board, but he could absolutely rise as we get closer to draft time.
"To me, he's an athletic Kirk Cousins," said the Michigan region scout.
https://www.espn.com/nfl/insider/draft2024/insider/story/_/id/39136559/2024-nfl-draft-quarterback-class-williams-maye-daniels-mccarthy
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