Mel Kiper Jr. Mocks Jayden Daniels Over Drake Maye to Commanders at No. 2

The ESPN draft guru made a compelling case for the reigning Heisman Trophy winner.

There's no question that LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels raised his NFL stock during the 2023 season, producing one of the most dominant seasons in SEC history and winning the Heisman Trophy.

Daniels is expected to be a first-round pick in the 2024 NFL draft, but just how high will he be selected? After all, the 23-year-old Daniels is relatively old for a Heisman winner turning pro.

To ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper Jr., the answer is probably higher than you think.

On Tuesday morning's edition of Get Up, Kiper revealed that his initial mock draft had the Washington Commanders selecting Daniels with the No. 2 pick rather than highly regarded North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye.

"He was remarkable, and I went to (Daniels' former coach at Arizona State) Herm Edwards, and Herm compares him to (former NFL quarterback) Randall Cunningham," Kiper said. "The (Baltimore Ravens quarterback) Lamar Jackson comps are out there, but he said Randall Cunningham. I'll take that."

Daniels threw 40 touchdowns against four interceptions for the Tigers in '23, adding 1,134 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground.

"The great thing about Jayden is he's aggressive with his legs. He's aggressive with his arm, but he doesn't turn the ball over," Kiper said. "To strike that balance is really rare and really impressive to me."