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Drake Maye and Jayden Daniels are among the top quarterback prospects entering the upcoming 2024 NFL draft in just a few weeks. In fact, many mock drafts have predicted them to be the second and third picks this year, following Caleb Willims as the likely number-one overall selection.
If the Chicago Bears select Williams, as they are expected to do, the Washington Commanders will have a major decision to make at number two. Likely deciding between Maye and Daniels could potentially impact their entire franchise for the next several years.
According to the self-proclaimed QB whisperer Shaun King, the choice for the Commanders should be an obvious one. He commented on the two quarterback prospects in a recent post from his personal X account:
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"Anyone who has Drake Maye ahead of Jayden Daniels ... DON'T believe anything they say regarding QB evaluation moving forward."
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Shaun King, a former starting quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, believes that Daniels is ahead of Maye when it comes to quarterback rankings for the 2024 NFL draft.
This suggests that he thinks that the Commanders should select Daniels, potentially leaving Maye for the New England Patriots at third. When looking at their college football statistics, he may be right.
Drake Maye vs. Jayden Daniels stats compared
What makes Drake Maye attractive to NFL teams is his typical quarterback build that they often look for in a prospect. He is big and strong, at 6-foot-5 and 220 pounds, with elite arm talent.
This helped him to throw for more than 8,000 yards and 63 touchdowns, while also adding 1,209 rushing yards and another 16 touchdowns, despite only being a two-year starter with the North Carolina Tar Heels.
Jayden Daniels is a bit undersized for a quarterback prospect, especially with his weight listed at just 185 pounds. This can be an injury concern in the NFL, but he makes up for it with his elite athleticism, including rushing for more than 2,000 yards and 21 touchdowns in two years as a starter for the LSU Tigers. During that time, he also passed for 6,725 yards and 57 touchdowns.
For his incredible efforts during the 2023 season, Daniels was awarded the Heisman Trophy, the most prestigious individual honor in college football. His superior rushing stats probably give him a higher ceiling than Maye, especially in the modern version of the NFL that features athletic quarterbacks.
A case can be made that Maye is a safer pick, but Shaun King is arguably justified in preferring Daniels.
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