Jayden Daniels set to wow at LSU Pro Day coming off the best College Football QB season of all time
Jayden Daniels, without a doubt, just gave us the best statistical quarterback season of all time in the history of College Football. If you think that is hyperbole, it is not. Today at the LSU Pro Day he will be showing off the skills that made the most absurdly efficient and productive season in the […]
Jayden Daniels, without a doubt, just gave us the best statistical quarterback season of all time in the history of College Football. If you think that is hyperbole, it is not. Today at the LSU Pro Day he will be showing off the skills that made the most absurdly efficient and productive season in the history of the sport possible. Expect some fireworks as he syncs up with his pair of future first round wide receivers, Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas.
If you want to watch the LSU Pro Day it will be available live on NFL+ at 12:50pm CT. Both Daniels and his early first round target Nabers sat out at the NFL Combine, so this will be our first chance to see them together during this NFL Draft season since connecting for nearly 1600 yards (more yards per game than any other QB-WR duo in the nation) and 14 scores last fall.
For those unfamiliar with just how wildly productive and perfect Daniels' season was last year, let's break it down. To start, Field Yates of ESPN shared a couple of Daniels' gaudy passing stats from the 2023 season this morning.
When blitzed Daniels completed 71% of his passes, average over 11 yards per pass attempt, threw 17 touchdowns, and zero interceptions. When teams incorrectly decided to play zone defense against him? Almost 78% completion rate, over 15 yards per pass attempt, 21 touchdowns, and again zero interceptions.
Those two stats alone are some of the most unfathomably perfect quarterback play we have ever seen. But that's just the start. Jayden Daniels' 2023 season by all the most meaningful rate stats is quite seriously unmatched, even when we compare it to some of the greatest statistical seasons in the history of college football combined.
Joe Burrow's legendary 2019? Jayden Daniels had a higher QBR, EPA per play (expected points added), total adjusted net yards per attempt, touchdown rate, TD-INT ratio, and tripled the rushing production.
Kyler Murray's wild 2018 campaign? Daniels wins again by quite literally every measure except EPA per play (0.73 for Murray, 0.70 for Daniels).
Baker Mayfield's (at the time) record setting yards per play season in 2017? Daniels' destroys it.
What about something more recent, like Trevor Lawrence, C.J. Stroud, or Caleb Williams' peak seasons? Not a single one's peak season comes close to Jayden Daniels' 2023.
In fact if we mix together all of the best college football seasons for Joe Burrow, Kyler Murray, C.J. Stroud, Bryce Young, Caleb Williams, Baker Mayfield, and even Patrick Mahomes, Daniels' 2023 is still more impressive overall. Here's how Daniels' 2023 stacks up against the absolute best college season among all those early first round quarterbacks:
- QBR: Jayden Daniels 95.7, Kyler Murray 95.4
- Total Adj. Net Yds/Att: Jayden Daniels 12.48, Kyler Murray 11.88
- Yards/Play: Jayden Daniels 10.71, Kyler Murray 10.40
- EPA/Play: Kyler Murray. 0.73, Jayden Daniels, 0.70
- TD%: Jayden Daniels 12.23%, Joe Burrow 11.39%
- TD-INT Rate: Jayden Daniels 10.02, Joe Burrow, 9.99%
- Rush Yds/Game: Jayden Daniels 94.5, Kyler Murray 71.5
It's nice that Joe Burrow threw 60 touchdowns in 2019, but he did it on 200 more pass attempts than Jayden Daniels. It's nice that a handful of other quarterbacks have a raw volume stat here or there that looks better than Daniels, but his efficiency trumps every college quarterback in the history of the sport.
We can nitpick Daniels all we want since it is NFL Draft season and problems with every prospect "must be found" apparently. Or, we could just sit back, relax, and enjoy one of the most special prospects ever put on a show today at the LSU Pro Day, and inevitably every Sunday in the NFL.
Be looking for more NFL Draft coverage here at A to Z Sports in the coming weeks! Be sure to follow me (@FF_TravisM) and A to Z Sports (@AtoZSportsNFL) on X for all the latest news in football!
