From johnwinger (@johnwinger98524):
John, that’s a three-part question that’s actually three different questions. But we’ll work with you.
I’d say Jayden Daniels, pretty clearly, has been the top guy and maybe he’d go first if you redrafted them. The gap between him and Williams has at the very least closed, and there’d certainly be teams who, with the information now available, would take Daniels first. That said, there is a difference between Daniels, Williams and Maye that we’ve pointed out over the past few months.
Daniels started 55 games in college. He was a multi-year starter at two different schools in two different major conferences. His level of experience as a five-year starter is an anomaly of the COVID-19 era and he’s certainly benefitting from it now. Had he come out after three years—like Williams and Maye (and J.J. McCarthy, for that matter) did in 2022—he’d have been a Day 3 pick, at best. Which isn’t to denigrate Daniels. It’s just the reality of it.
That’s a contributing factor in why we can say that Williams and Maye have a chance to be really high-level pros, and Daniels already is one.
As for the Williams vs. Maye argument, Williams has a very unique skill set. In talking to some Tuesday on what’s gone wrong with him, as the Chicago Bears made their OC change, it looks like the transition from Lincoln Riley’s brand of Air Raid to the NFL has been rockier than expected. One issue with the offense was how they’re trying to move him around, and give him easier, half-field-type reads, which has robbed him a bit of his playmaking ability in shrinking the field. On straight drop–backs, he looks a little lost.
In the long run, I think Williams will be a really good quarterback. But Maye has closed the gap on him, too. And while I still think the order would be Williams and Daniels, and then Maye close behind, all three of these guys would be the first pick in 2025, without question. And that’s just based on the information we had in April. Based on the information we have now, I think all three have a chance to make it as pros. As for Nix …
