Aaron Taylor: The bad side of Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye
On Wednesday’s edition of Zolak & Bertrand, former NFL player and CBS analyst, Aaron Taylor, broke down the bad side of Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye as quarterback prospects.
The upside is pretty good with all 3…
Scott Zolak: We’re in a very unusual position picking 3 here in New England. Everybody’s talking about the three quarterbacks. We’ve heard all the positives of what they do. Give me a negative about Caleb Williams, a negative about Jayden Daniels, and a negative about Drake Maye from you watching them.
Aaron Taylor: Yeah, that’s a great question. I think you look at the upside of all of those players and it’s all pretty good. They’re certainly the best available with what’s going on in this year’s draft. But we’ll start with Caleb Williams there at the top. Had a phenomenal year a couple seasons ago in 2022. Just a ton of production, great decision making, was accurate distributing the football. That kind of took a step back this year a little bit. He was a little jittery in the pocket. He would try to hold the football six, seven, eight seconds, trying to desperately make things happen at times. And we’ve also seen some of the maturity issues with him writing, you know, fun little four letter words on his fingernails and on his knuckles for certain high profile games.
So part of what the concern is about Caleb Williams, is he ready to be the franchise quarterback? Could he walk in and have the maturity? But also, can he sit in the pocket and throw on time with accuracy and make good decisions when the picture is changing mightily in front of him. That’s going to be evaluated between now and draft day. He certainly has the capacity to do that, but that’s going to be one of the things that myself and others have concerns about.
Looking at Jayden Daniels, you look at him on the hoof. He’s six foot four, but he’s really thin. He does an outstanding job Zolak of getting on the outside edge and delivering the football accurately. But he can put the ball in jeopardy at times and he puts his body in jeopardy at times. So how durable is Jayden Daniels going to be in the NFL? He’s got some escape ability. We know that he can extend and create with his legs, but he puts himself in harm’s way at times and with his build, you’re just not going to be able to do that in the NFL and do it consistently.
I think when you look at the other kid, Drake Maye, a lot of people think that he was going to be the next Justin Herbert that was going to come out. Big, strong, six foot four, big Scott Zola’s looking mug, throwing the football back there, a ton of arm strength. But when you looked at what it is he did this year behind a porous offensive line, he made bad decisions and he just turned the ball over too much. So he forced falls or just made the wrong read at times and he didn’t have a whole lot to work with. So part of that could be attributed to the fact that he’s just trying to make things happen. But those are the things that separate the good from the great and the great from the elite.
So it’s not just about scouting and this whole process is not about what a dude can do. It’s about what a dude might be able to do evaluating intrinsically and authentically and objectively what a person can do and what they can’t do is at the heart of scouting. So your question about what the downsides are and what fans should look for as these guys emter the league is really on point because it tends to hold the key to success or not.
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA – SEPTEMBER 23: Drake Maye #10 of the North Carolina Tar Heels celebrates after a North Carolina Tar Heels touchdown in the first quarter against the Pittsburgh Panthers at Acrisure Stadium on September 23, 2023 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)
Listen to the full segment!
Barth's 2024 Draft Profiles: Ohio State WR Marvin Harrison Jr.
The son of a Hall of Fame wide receiver and a generational prospect in his own right, Ohio State wideout Marvin Harrison Jr. may be the single most-hyped prospect in the 2024 NFL Draft class. With big hype comes big expectations though – will Harrison be able to live up to them?
Marvin Harrison Jr. scouting report
Nov 18, 2023; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. (18) checks in as an eligible receiver during the NCAA football game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Ohio Stadium. (Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch/USA Today Network)
College: Ohio State
Age: 21
Height: 6’4
Weight: 205
Awards: Unanimous All-American (2022-2023), First-Team All-Big 10 (2022, 2023), Biletnikoff Award (2023)
Coming out of college, everything about Harrison screams big-time prospect. His tape, production, and even background as the son of Hall of Fame receiver Marvin Harrison. Yet for the younger Harrison, this hype was built quickly. Coming out of St. Joseph’s Prep School in Philadelphia, Harrison Jr. was the 21st-ranked wide receiver and 160th overall prospect in the Class of 2021.
After seeing limited playing time as a freshman behind future first-round picks Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Harrison Jr. took off in 2022 as a true sophomore catching passes from C.J. Stroud. Despite a step back in quarterback play in 2023 when Kyle McCord took over under center for Ohio State, Harrison still put up massive numbers and won the Biletnikoff Award, which is given annually to the best wide receiver in the nation. He was also a Heisman finalist.
For more player breakdowns, scouting reports, and all things 2024 NFL Draft, check out the 98.5 The Sports Hub Draft Hub page.
