Desmond Howard reveals his top 2024 NFL Draft Pick; it's not Caleb Williams: "He’s probably one of the most improved players in the country"

With the regular college football season over, the CFB fraternity turns its attention towards the NFL draft, trying to project the landing spots of various college football talents.

On “College Football Live,” former Heisman winner, Desmond Howard chose a surprising figure as his pick for the No. 1 overall spot in the 2024 NFL draft. It wasn't USC Trojans' QB Caleb Williams, long seen as the undisputed pick.

“I like Jayden Daniels and Matt Miller hit it on the head. He said he’s probably one of the most improved players in the country, but not just from last season to this season," Howard said.

“We’re talking about from Arizona State to where he is now, I mean such a progression, development,” Howard said. “The way this young man processes everything, and the way he attacks the game. So I love, when you look at him from Arizona State, to the Heisman Trophy winner, just a great quarterback, great development.”

Howard proceeded to project where Caleb Williams and the Michigan Wolverines' J.J. McCarthy would land on the NFL draft board.

“Then you’ve got Caleb, we all know about Caleb Williams, what he brings to the table, and then JJ McCarthy,” Howard said. “I think JJ is a guy, when they start to really peel back the layers, he’s NFL ready.”

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What the experts say about Jayden Daniels in the NFL draft?

Various projections have different outcomes for LSU Tigers quarterback Jayden Daniels in next year's NFL draft. ESPN's draft expert, Mel Kiper placed him a bit differently than Desmond Howard.

"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 wrote in his column.

"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."

The Athletic's draft expert Dan Brugler is optimistic about Daniels ranking on the NFL draft as well.

“At the beginning of the season, I wouldn’t have guessed that Daniels would appear in the top 10 of my first mock draft.

"But in studying his tape and seeing his continual improvements, you start to run out of reasons why he doesn’t belong. I think several teams slotted in the top 10 will think the same way,” Brugler wrote.

Wherever Jayden Daniel ends up in the draft, he has certainly done his first-round chances no harm with a stellar 2023 season and a Heisman Trophy to boot.