LSU coach Brian Kelly may have said the quiet part out loud.
The famed football coach set social media abuzz when a clip of him talking about quarterback Jayden Daniels circulated where it appeared that Kelly tipped where the former LSU QB would be drafted.
“He’s going to be so committed to taking care of himself,” Kelly said in the clip, though it’s unclear the source or outlet the interview was done with. “You’re not going to have to worry about size or whether he weighs enough. Lamar [Jackson]’s done a good job with his size. [Patrick] Mahomes, I wouldn’t consider him a giant. He’ll get the ball out to the playmakers and make plays, for Washington.”
With the words “for Washington” it certainly seemed as though Kelly had some knowledge that maybe others didn’t.
The Commanders have the second overall pick in next month’s draft and they have been connected with NFL prospects Drake Maye and Daniels.
The odds are that Kelly had a mere slip of the tongue rather than deeper knowledge, but it certainly excited fans of the Commanders.
Daniels completed 52-of-56 passes with three incompletions and one drop during his pro day workout.
The Commanders’ brain trust appeared to like what they saw on Wednesday during the workout with TV cameras capturing a very excited Washington coach Dan Quinn looking on.
Washington is looking for a new franchise quarterback after they traded Sam Howell away to the Seahawks.
Howell had thrown 3,946 passing yards, 21 touchdowns and 21 interceptions in 2023 for the Commanders.
Quinn appeared to address questions about Daniels’ size when he spoke to reporters this week.
“It’s not one size fits all, but I think there are some measurables that you do want to find — some markers to hit for a quarterback,” Quinn said, according to Yahoo Sports.
“You hear about hand size and his ability to rotate and shoulder flexibility and all of those things. Those will show up on the tape. Also where we live, they better be weather resistant too and be able to play in the elements and do all that because we certainly have games that will be that way. But more than anything it’s the ability from the neck up.”
