Getty Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles.
You can add LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels to the growing list of QBs to watch where the Chicago Bears are concerned.
In addition to top quarterback prospects Caleb Williams (USC) and Drake Maye (North Carolina), along with Michigan standout J.J. McCarthy, longtime insider Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune listed Daniels as another young signal-caller Chicago will be monitoring closely.
“Assuming Williams, Maye and Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy declare for the draft, I think you’re looking at a group of four quarterbacks who will be discussed thoroughly in advance of the draft. LSU’s Jayden Daniels is out of college eligibility and would be the fourth quarterback in the mix,” Biggs wrote on December 6, adding: “I think you can focus on Williams, Maye, McCarthy and Daniels with bowl season about to crank up.”
As it stands with five games remaining in the regular season, the Bears have the No. 1 and No. 5 overall picks. That could change, of course, but they stand to have two very high selections. Considering what Daniels has accomplished in a tough SEC division this year, it’s easy to see why he’s a player the Bears will keep an eye on.
Bears Draft Watch: Jaylen Daniels Had Breakout Campaign for LSU in 2023
22 TD, 0 INT on throws 20+ yards.
Yes, his WRs are good, but that’s a lot on ball placement and touch
Daniels spent his first three years of college eligibility playing for Arizona State. He transferred to LSU in 2022, and had a solid first season with the Tigers, completing 68.6% of his passes for 2,913 yards, 17 touchdowns and three interceptions, also rushing for 885 yards and 11 scores.
The 6-foot-3, 185-pound QB broke out in a huge way this season, completing 72.2% of his passes for 3,812 yards, 40 TDs and just four picks. He also added over 1,100 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground.
Per PFF, Daniels “led all FBS signal-callers in passing touchdowns (40), yards per attempt (11.5), passer rating (143.7) and rushing yards (1,250) while leading the nation’s most efficient offense in terms of EPA per play.”
Currently the favorite to win the Heisman Trophy, Daniels has been an incredibly accurate passer on throws of 20 or more yards, throwing 22 TDs and no picks on deep passes, per draft expert Matt Miller. Whether he will overshadow Williams and Maye remains to be seen. Still, Daniels has played his way into the conversation.
This is just a SICK throw by Jayden Daniels
Bears QB Justin Fields Has 5 Crucial Games Remaining
With Chicago’s options in the draft looking promising, current starter Justin Fields could still stake his claim as the team’s leader. The third-year QB will need to ball out and eliminate mistakes, though.
Fields has completed a career-high 64.4% of his passes this year, but he has seven fumbles in his eight starts. The Bears QB has also thrown 12 TDs and six interceptions. It’s still possible for Fields to give the team reason enough not to draft a different quarterback.
“I’m really just trying to be consistent, I think that’s the biggest thing,” Fields said on December 6. “You can play good one game, play bad the other. So me personally, it’s just trying to be consistent and trying to be better than I was yesterday. Just trying to continually improve, get better as a person and a player and just better myself each and every day.”
Chicago’s remaining five opponents are beatable to a large extent. The Bears play the division-leading Detroit Lions at Soldier Field Week 11, and that’ll be a difficult matchup. But after that, Fields and Chicago face the Browns, Cardinals, Falcons and Packers, three of which aren’t currently above .500. The opportunity is there. We’ll know soon enough whether Fields seizes it.
Comments
Insider Drops New Playmaking QB to Watch for Bears in Upcoming Draft