What Jayden Daniels said about following Tom Brady’s footsteps with Patriots

"I’m a game-changer at the quarterback position. That’s what I can bring to that franchise.”

Jayden Daniels is considered to be a top-three pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)

March 28, 2024

3 minutes to read

Jayden Daniels doesn’t seem to be lacking in confidence.

If the former LSU QB and reigning Heisman Trophy winner dons a Patriots cap next month at the 2024 NFL Draft, the pressure will be on for the dual-threat signal-caller in short order.

Not only will Daniels be tabbed as a much-needed remedy for a Patriots offense that averaged just a messy 13.9 points per game in 2023, the 23-year-old QB will quickly shoulder the burden of being Tom Brady’s sought-after successor and a franchise savior in Foxborough.

But speaking after LSU’s Pro Day on Wednesday, Daniels stressed that he isn’t worried about those high expectations.

“I played in Death Valley after Joe Burrow,” Daniels said Wednesday, per Christopher Price of The Boston Globe. “I feel like I’m ready for anything. I’m a game-changer at the quarterback position. That’s what I can bring to that franchise.”

It’s hard to argue against Daniels’ declaration after looking at his stuffed stat sheet with the Tigers.

During his Heisman campaign, Daniels carved up defenses both through the air and on the ground. He completed 72 percent of his passes, recording 3,812 passing yards, 40 touchdowns, and only 4 interceptions. In addition, Daniels rushed for 1,134 rushing yards (8.4 per carry) and 10 touchdowns.

If Daniels is available when New England lands on the clock with the No. 3 pick in the upcoming draft, there’s plenty to like about his ability to inject some much-needed playmaking capabilities into the team’s anemic offense.

Speaking on Wednesday, Daniels also pushed back against a report that his camp doesn’t want him to play in New England — due in large part to the colder climate.

“Same as for everybody,” Daniels noted. “It’s whoever wants to draft me. Whoever believes in me. There’s stuff I can’t control. I can’t control who calls my phone on draft day. So it is what it is. Just the reports out there, sometimes you have to call out cap for people, so that’s what I had to do.”

Even with Daniels’ high ceiling, there is some concern about his ability to thrive against NFL competition given his slight frame and penchant for trying to fight through contract while running with the ball.

During Pro Day, Daniels checked in at 6 feet 3⅝ inches, 210 pounds.

“There’s very few questions about [whether he] can’t do this or he can’t do that,” LSU head coach Brian Kelly said of questions regarding Daniels’ skillset. “I think it’s more, ‘Will he slide? Will he get down?’ What I said to them was, ‘You have a guy who’s incredibly tough and competitive.’ No one more so than the guy I saw get hit in the Alabama game, and come back the next week out of concussion protocol and set an NCAA record the next week. That, to me, speaks to his toughness.

“He’s a smart guy. He’s figured this thing out. That’s been really the biggest question. It hasn’t been about, ‘Can he pick up the safety reads? Can he pick up blitz protections?’ They can see that on film. It’s, ‘Coach, will he protect himself?’ And I’m sure he will.”

Amid all of the uncertainty that comes with the build-up to the NFL Draft, Daniels stressed that his primary focus is landing with a team that will be able to support him properly as he makes the leap to NFL competition.

“Who’s going to invest in me? Who’s going to believe in me?” he said of his questions regarding his future NFL home. “Kind of like what LSU did, on and off the field. As a man. And a player. They probably already did their homework. They know who I am as a person and who I am as a player. Who’s going to believe in me as a man? As a quarterback? On and off the field.”