Kiper: LSU's Jayden Daniels 'Trending Toward' Being 1st Rounder in 2024 NFL Draft

After a stellar 2023 campaign in which he established himself as the favorite to take home the Heisman Trophy, LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels has also significantly improved his draft stock.

ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. wrote: "I don't have an elite, top-five grade on Daniels... but he's trending toward being a first-round pick, especially in a draft in which multiple teams have quarterback issues."

Kiper noted that Daniels sits at No. 4 in his quarterback rankings behind USC's Caleb Williams, UNC's Drake Maye and Colorado's Shedeur Sanders, but ahead of fellow Heisman finalists Bo Nix of Oregon (No. 5) and Michael Penix Jr. of Washington (No. 8). There's reportedly a strong chance that Sanders will decide to stay in school, which would move Daniels into the top three at the position.

Daniels began his college career at Arizona State and didn't make much of a splash, but he showed improvement after transferring to LSU ahead of the 2022 season. However, he made a major leap in his production this year that rightfully earned him the attention of NFL scouts.

In 2023, Daniels completed 72.2 percent of his passes for 3,812 yards, 40 touchdowns and just four interceptions for a passer rating of 208.0. He also displayed dominance with his dual-threat ability, adding 1,134 rushing yards and 10 more touchdowns on the ground. He has not yet made a decision on whether he will play in the ReliaQuest Bowl on Jan. 1.

Daniels' improvement this year surely will have NFL teams salivating at the chance of adding him as their quarterback of the future. Kiper named the Las Vegas Raiders, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Atlanta Falcons and Minnesota Vikings as the teams outside of the top five that could be eyeing a passer in the first round.

"Daniels, who turns 23 later this month, has the edge over Nix and Penix because of his size, playmaking ability and week-to-week consistency," Kiper stated. "He distanced himself from those guys down the stretch, taking the next step in his development. He could be a fantastic NFL player."