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2022 NFL Draft: JT Daniels a potential Heisman finalist

By Andrew Fischer

0ATLANTA, GA - JANUARY 01: JT Daniels #18 of the Georgia Bulldogs passes during the first half of the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl against the Cincinnati Bearcats at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on January 1, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)
0ATLANTA, GA - JANUARY 01: JT Daniels #18 of the Georgia Bulldogs passes during the first half of the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl against the Cincinnati Bearcats at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on January 1, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images) /
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Quarterback Matthew Stafford, who turns 33 in February, was the Lions’ No. 1 overall pick out of Georgia in 2009.Syndication Detroit Free Press
Quarterback Matthew Stafford, who turns 33 in February, was the Lions’ No. 1 overall pick out of Georgia in 2009.Syndication Detroit Free Press /

Player Comp: Matthew Stafford

This isn’t a perfect player comparison as Matthew Stafford has a stronger arm and is more mobile than JT Daniels, but I think there’s a strong resemblance between these two quarterbacks.

Stafford and Daniels were both 5-star recruits coming out of high schools from football powerhouse states (Texas and California, respectively) and they both led their teams to 15-0 undefeated seasons and state championships as seniors (Highland Park in 2005 for Stafford and Mater Dei in 2017 for Daniels).

They are also both 6’3” quarterbacks who played their college games at the University of Georgia, and they both had college seasons where they threw double digit interceptions (Stafford in 2006, 2007, 2008 and Daniels in 2017).

Now I realize that comparing a player who’s started 16 college games to a professional quarterback who’s started 10 times that many in the NFL and thrown for 45,000 yards might seem a little ambitious. And there’s some truth to that, because Matthew Stafford was the first overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft.

And unless JT Daniels goes full Joe Burrow supernova, there’s little chance that he’s going to be the first overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. But JT Daniels could definitely have an NFL career that, like Stafford, spans 10 years or more. The pedigree and the talent are both there, in my opinion. Which leads me to his strengths.

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