www.cbssports.com
And don't look now but.............
LSU QB Jayden Daniels wins Davey O’Brien Award - Yahoo Sports
Jayden Daniels was named the best quarterback in college football in 2023.sports.yahoo.com
The Heisman Award winner is still TBD, but this one focuses soley on the best QB and it was Daniels, not Williams or Maye who received it. This is the guy to keep in mind if Poles ends up trading his 1st pick back to grab more draft capital. Here's an insane set of stats I spotted on X regarding this kid:
On throws 20 yards or longer:
63% completion rate
22 TDs
0 INTs
146.8 passer rating
These are all national bests.
Here's the latest of what will be a boatload of comparisons between QBs Caleb Williams and Drake Maye in the coming months. These two continue to rank at the very top of QBs in the '24 draft, with many boards having them slotted to be taken 1 & 2 overall, respectively:
Caleb Williams or Drake Maye? Here's how talent evaluators frame the 2024 NFL Draft's big question - Yahoo Sports
Williams has long been considered the prize of this class, but Maye has turned it into a tug-of-war that all boils down to some key factors.
This is why if the Bears intend to dump Fields and grab a QB with their 1st pick, it really shouldn't matter to any great degree whether we end up with the 1st or 2nd pick in the draft - one of these guys will be there. Naturally having the 1st pick gives Poles a bit more flexibility, which especially applies if he intends to trade it out. But this remains to be seen.
Zero concerns over his age. QBs that have a long career in the NFL often play well into their late 30s and even early 40s. If there's a concern for Daniels, it could be his physique. He's 6'4 and maybe 215 soaking wet. That's a bit on the thin side. His frame could easily stand an extra 10 lbs or so, but would that slow him down or more importantly, would that extra weight affect his cuts when he's running in the open field? Not sure if you've caught any of his game film highlights, but no QB in college or the pros for that matter can make the cuts he does when running at top speed. You might expect that from a short, shifty RB perhaps, but not a QB.
I think we all agree that if Fields is traded, Poles will most certainly use one of those two 1st rounders on a QB, and my guess is it would be the first of those two. OTOH, if Poles plans to keep him around for another year at least, I'd be more than open to him trading down in exchange for more draft capital - perhaps a trade that would net him a 1st round in '25. I could get use to having two 1st round picks each year.
chicago.suntimes.com
I don't think there's a ghost's chance in hell that Harrison returns to OS next year. And even if he did, the odds would still likely be against him taken 1st in the '25 draft because next year there will be more QBs ready to be taken by losing teams sorely in need of one. Besides, he could still possibly be the #1 pick in this year's draft, altho the only team I see taking him that high would be the Bears, and even that's assuming they stick with Fields.
On the one hand, it's hard to blame these guys for sitting out this last game to avoid risking injury and hurting their draft status. But the selfish in us wants to see one last game, which will likely be telecast nationally, to get a really good look at someone who might be on their team's draft board.UNC QB Drake Maye Declares For 2024 NFL Draft
UNC QB Drake Maye announced Monday that he will be skipping the team's Bowl game and declaring for the 2024 NFL Draft. https://twitter.com/DrakeMaye2/status/1734346946486436119 Maye, 21, is one of the best overall prospects in the 2024nfltraderumors.co
And one hit in a college game and he is a second round flyer on an injured, in rehab, player.
I think Detroit has always had one eye open on Goff, even when he's played pretty well. He can be good and at times come close to flirting with great. But like Fields, a lack of consistency has dogged his career. It wouldn't surprise me at all if the Lions use one of their first three picks on a QB.
**GULP** Williams is out for the season with a torn ACL. Not sure if this works in the Bears favor or not. Williams was for me the top FA target this offseason or at least should have been. Think I read somewhere that he's the second highest ranked center in the league (I'm guessing the Lions Frank Ragnow is #1). Had he not suffered this injury, it wouldn't have surprised me at all if the Dolphins made every reasonable attempt to re-sign him. They still might try, depending now how he progresses in the offseason. But that same 'if' also applies to the Bears. Can't see them chasing damaged goods unless there's a clear indication that he'll be ready to go next year.
