Heisman Hope? New England Patriots Select LSU QB Jayden Daniels In New Mock Draft

CBS Sports predicts the New England Patriots will take LSU quarterback and 2023 Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels in its latest mock draft.

With the New England Patriots officially eliminated from playoff contention, most fans are already looking forward to the NFL Draft in April.

All signs point to the Patriots, who currently hold the No. 2 overall pick with a 3-10 record, taking their quarterback of the future as Mac Jones slides further into bust territory. CBS Sports upholds that trend in its latest mock draft, but what is a surprise is the player taken. At No. 2 overall, CBS Sports projects the Patriots to take LSU's Jayden Daniels, who just won the Heisman Trophy on Saturday.

"Surprise! The Patriots go with Daniels over Caleb Williams as the second quarterback off the board," CBS Sports writes. "Daniels is an athletic marvel with two years of high-caliber passing productivity in the SEC."

Daniels directs the LSU offense / USA TODAY Sports

Yes, this mock draft has Daniels going above USC's Caleb Williams, who won the Heisman Trophy last year and has been the consensus top pick in this draft for quite some time. Instead, Williams is projected to go all the way down at No. 6 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who traded up from No. 10 overall with the New York Jets.

North Carolina's Drake Maye, the other top QB in the class, goes first overall to the Chicago Bears in this mock, because taking a Tar Heels quarterback worked out so well for them last time with Mitch Trubisky.

Daniels, 22, may be a late riser in this draft cycle, but he's no slouch by any means. Since joining the Tigers as a transfer from Arizona State, the fifth-year quarterback has been one of the most impressive players in the country.

Last season, Daniels led LSU to a 10-4 record and SEC West division title as he threw for 2,913 yards, 17 touchdowns and three interceptions while adding another 885 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground. While the Tigers didn't have the same team success this season, mostly due to an atrocious defense, Daniels took his game to another level by throwing for 3,812 yards, 40 touchdowns and only four interceptions while rushing for 1,134 yards and 10 touchdowns.

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If the Patriots were to take Daniels (or Williams for that matter), it would be the first time they've drafted a Heisman winner since taking Jim Plunkett first overall in 1971. However, multiple Heisman winners have spent time in New England since then, including Cam Newton and Boston College product Doug Flutie.

While Daniels may be an unconventional pick given the Patriots' draft position, the California native certainly has the potential to be a franchise quarterback, it's just a matter of putting him in a position to unlock it.