Jayden Daniels reportedly won't throw at NFL combine and here's why
By John Fye
According to Ian Rapoport, Jayden Daniels will not participate in throwing drills during this week's NFL Combine event in Indianapolis. Instead, the former LSU football quarterback will wait for his Pro Day workout on March 27 in Baton Rouge.
The reigning Heisman Trophy winner is not the only quarterback who will avoid combine throwing drills. Former USC quarterback Caleb Williams also (reportedly) will not throw in front of NFL scouts in Indianapolis. We still do not know if North Carolina's Drake Maye will throw this week, but he is not expected to do such.
Waiting to throw in front of NFL teams has everything to do with comfort as it does trends. Obviously, neither Williams, Maye, nor Daniels intend to leave the combine in a worse draft position than they entered. As such, throwing at the combine can hurt their position on an NFL team's draft board more than it can help.
Fans must consider the impacts of the environment and familiarity with receivers when considering a quarterback's decision to wait for their pro day. For example, Daniels is unquestionably in the best position to succeed in front of NFL scouts throwing on March 27 in Tiger Stadium. He will be on a field he knows and throwing to receivers he's familiar with.
A quarterback's rapport with receivers is paramount to success at the position.
Nevertheless, Jayden Daniels has every opportunity to improve his draft position this week. He will still meet with NFL teams and sell his personality and mental capacity for the game.
Currently, most mock drafts favor Williams, Maye, and Daniels as the top three quarterbacks. However, Daniels is somewhat of a wildcard because folks assume the Chicago Bears will draft Williams at No. 1 and the Washington Commanders will draft Maye at No. 2.
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The New England Patriots are not a lock to draft a quarterback at pick No. 3. Thus, where Daniels' name is called in April remains a crapshoot. However, the former LSU Tigers star has plenty of opportunity to leap Maye in the draft order.