Dan Orlovsky has never been shy to own a take. Especially when it comes to quarterbacks.
And on Thursday, the ESPN NFL analyst took one of his boldest stances yet, claiming that LSU’s Jayden Daniels should be the No. 1 overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft.
“If I were the Chicago Bears right now, I would take Jayden Daniels,” Orlovsky said on ESPN’s Get Up. “That is not a knock on Caleb Williams. That is a plus in Jayden Daniels… Caleb Williams is fantastic. I think Jayden Daniels is better.”
This doesn’t appear to be a matter of Orlovsky merely buying into the buzz of the NFL Scouting Combine. Pulling up a text message conversation from October, host Mike Greenberg noted that the former NFL quarterback told him at the time, “Caleb is tremendous, but not a lock to be 1.”
Dan Orlovsky isn't afraid to go out on a limb by himself, which he did this morning on Get Up on the top pick in the NFL Draft.
"Jayden Daniels should be the guy. If I were the Chicago Bears right now I would take Jayden Daniels out of LSU." pic.twitter.com/UZnWoW0hov
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) February 29, 2024
As Orlovsky alluded to, the general consensus dating back to last year — even before the 2023 NFL Draft — is that Williams would be the first overall pick in 2024. And while that thinking has largely held, there has been plenty of buzz regarding Daniels following his Heisman Trophy-winning season at LSU.
Still, there’s a difference between Louis Riddick telling The Rich Eisen Show that Daniels could go No. 1 overall and Orlovsky saying that he should go No. 1 overall. This is the time of year where analysts attach themselves to certain prospects. And fair or not, they’ll continue to be linked to those prospects throughout their NFL careers — just ask Miami Dolphins fans how they feel about Chris Simms.
Even with the recent buzz regarding Daniels, Orlovsky is going out on a limb. And if the LSU quarterback is a bust, you can best believe he’ll be hearing about it.
It will be interesting to see whether others join his cause, or if Orlovsky will be on Daniels Island all by himself heading into the draft — and beyond.
