Scouting Report, QB Comparison, Future Draft Projection for WVU's JT Daniels

How good will JT Daniels be in a Mountaineer uniform? We ask our friends from the NFL Draft Bible to dive in on the new QB1.

A lot is being made of JT Daniels' transfer from Georgia to West Virginia and rightfully so. For a team that has had average to below average play at the quarterback position over the last three years, it's easy to understand why fans are excited to land the former five-star recruit. 

Daniels will certainly be an upgrade over Jarret Doege, but will he become the superstar that everyone thinks he already is? Or will he turn out to be just better than average?

To help breakdown what exactly the Mountaineers are getting in JT Daniels, I reached out to Zack Patraw of the NFL Draft Bible on Sports Illustrated. Below, he provides a scouting report, player comparison (or two), and what his draft stock looks like as of today. 

"With Daniels, you see the potential to thrive and lead an offense, but you also see the potential to bust," said Patraw. "As one of the top quarterback recruits in his class, the bar was set high, which he ultimately hasn't been near yet. Going from USC to Georgia and being beat out by other quarterbacks, many questions loom over Daniels' head. A fresh start at West Virginia could be what he needs to show what he's capable of."

Evaluation

Similar to how we saw Philip Rivers adjust his arm angle and Patrick Mahomes throwing off-platform, Daniels is great at doing those two things while maintaining accuracy. He's aggressive, making tight-window throws and throwing the ball to the receiver's leverage. There's being aggressive, and then there's being reckless. Too often, Daniels will attempt to fit the ball into a window with a closing defender that he doesn't identify, putting the ball and his receiver at risk. I'd like to see him take the next step to reading defenses and taking what they give him, be more poised in the pocket and have better overall awareness. 

Loose, twitchy off-platform thrower who can adjust his arm angles to get the ball around defenders. Daniels is a rotational thrower with good mobility in the pocket, doing well to avoid pass rushers. He possesses an NFL arm, which he uses aggressively, pushing the ball vertically on a frequent basis in Todd Monken’s offense. The former five-star recruit likes to exploit favorable matchups downfield. In the short and intermediate areas of the field, Daniels throws to leverage and makes tight window passes in between linebackers and safeties. He manipulates defenders with his eyes and is comfortable making full-field reads. Daniels’ aggressive nature often gets the better of him as he regularly puts the ball in danger on designed deep shots or with defenders in his face. When extending from within or outside of the pocket, he tends to get too greedy, taking sacks and hits or making dangerous throws. He is toesy in the pocket and gets loosey-goosey with his footwork, failing to set his feet. At times, Daniels is unable to control the football, leading to frustrating misses. His deep accuracy is inconsistent. Aggressive vertical passer with a solid arm and the ability to throw off balance. Daniels has good mobility to extend plays and is capable of making full-field reads as well as manipulating defenders with his eyes. His aggressive nature gets the better of him when he gets too greedy, leading to sacks and turnovers. 

Player comparison

Daniels is similar to a player like Davis Mills -- a highly recruited prospect that wasn't necessarily lights out in college but is beginning to find success in the NFL after being selected in the third round. But if he doesn't take a major step forward this year with West Virginia, he could be a Jake Fromm-like player -- a later selection in the NFL Draft that will be fighting to remain rostered. 

Draft stock

Projection: Mid-late round pick.

Role: Low-level starter/serviceable backup

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