During the lead-up to the 2024 NFL Combine, many top quarterbacks including Jayden Daniels have chosen not to throw during the event.
Daniels, the Heisman Award Winner this past season who led the LSU Tigers football team, is considered to be one of the top available quarterbacks. This year’s draft will be full of talent, including many exceptional quarterbacks who could move around quite a lot between present day and draft night. Daniels and Caleb Williams have each elected to not throw during the NFL Combine, which could be a costly decision.
NFL Draft Prospect Quarterback Jayden Daniels Elects Not to Throw Despite Potential Upside
As the NFL Combine is nearly here, some of the top quarterbacks in the upcoming draft will not be throwing the football for NFL scouts and the public. Both LSU Tiger Jayden Daniels and USC Trojan Caleb Williams were confirmed as non-throwers for the combine, which is rather surprising given the potential draft stock boost it could give.
Instead, Daniels and Williams will both throw the football during their respective pro days in front of NFL staff and scouts. The main difference between these two settings is who the players will run through their drills with. In the combine, both quarterbacks would not be able to choose who they throw to or what drills they conduct, and instead must follow the NFL staff. During their pro days, each quarterback is able to throw to their teammates and utilize their team staff to help set-up each drill.
While there is no real difference in the drills they will conduct on either day, some quarterbacks prefer to throw in their own environment where they can control small factors like who they will pass to. Missing out on the passing portion of the combine is not a huge deal for quarterbacks, as each one will still attend the event to field questions. Unfortunately for the fans and scouts, they will have to wait another month before seeing either prospect throw.
Could Avoiding Throwing at the NFL Combine Hurt the Draft Stock of Multiple Quarterbacks?
While doing well at the NFL Combine and throwing darts could potentially boost the draft stock of Daniels and Williams, it also does not provide as much of an upside as it does for other quarterbacks. For example, Colts starting quarterback Anthony Richardson had questions regarding his accuracy issues in his final season of college football with the Florida Gators.
During the combine, however, Richardson had a great showing in all of the major passing drills and turned plenty of heads. Richardson was drafted fourth overall after previously being considered the fourth or fifth overall quarterback in the draft. Now, that is not to say it is all due to his performance at the combine, but his successful showing helped ease some of the questions surrounding the prospect.
Another example would come from the 2022 NFL Combine as both Kenny Pickett and Malik Willis were able to showcase their passing skills. Pickett solidified himself as the most NFL-ready passer at the time, while Willis was able to dazzle scouts with his incredible arm strength.
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