ESPN's Louis Riddick addresses 'significant gap' separating top QBs in 2024 NFL Draft
ESPN’s Louis Riddick remains adamant there is a clear top quarterback in the 2024 NFL Draft class, and he believes it’s not a particularly close group at this point.
One of ESPN’s top draft experts, he proclaimed on Tuesday’s “Get Up” that Caleb Williams is still the top QB available. LSU’s Jayden Daniels and North Carolina’s Drake Maye are the next in that group but there is a gap in the pecking order per Riddick.
“No, absolutely not,” said Riddick about the idea of Daniels and Maye being close to Williams. “And I tell you what, Jayden Daniels is a freakshow now in his ability to make plays. He is FUN, he is fun to watch and there’s a reason why he’s a Heisman Trophy winner. Caleb is different.”
The race for the No. 1 pick is unlikely to contain much drama at this point in the process. Williams is still a heavy favorite to be the first player selected while fans can track all the odds and trends for the NFL Draft via Saturday Out West’s ESPN Bet links.
For Riddick, he sees a bigger conversation to be had about the second QB selected between Daniels and Maye. He currently sees a large talent gap between the two, though Riddick admitted he is waiting to get more information on Daniels’ overall makeup.
“For me, what’s going to be interesting here is when eventually we get further down the road and I get more information about what is Jayden like — the person, the student, the teammate — in relationship to Drake Maye. Because as far as Jayden Daniels being a playmaker and what he can do at the QB position compared to Drake Maye, if I didn’t know anything else about them, it’s Jayden Daniels all day long for me,” Riddick explained.
“There’s a gap from Caleb to Jayden, and then there’s a gap to me from Jayden to Drake Maye. This is going to be very interesting, but Caleb is definitely (No. 1) and there’s a significant gap.”
.@LRiddickESPN on how the top QBs in the NFL draft stack up:
“There’s a gap from Caleb [Williams] to Jayden [Daniels], and then there’s a gap to me from Jayden to Drake Maye.” pic.twitter.com/QJMOFX57C5
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) February 6, 2024