2024 NFL Draft Prospects to Watch: Jayden Daniels & Tahj Brooks

We’ve finally reached the college football season, and that means there are draft prospects playing meaningful games. Their performances in these games help determine where these prospects get drafted in the 2024 NFL Draft. As we head into the fifth week of the college football season, here are two college football prospects to watch for your dynasty and devy leagues.

2024 NFL Draft Prospects

Tahj Brooks (RB – Texas Tech)

Last season I thought we could have seen Brooks enter the 2023 NFL Draft. However, he ended up staying for his senior season with the Red Raiders. During his junior season, Brooks posted 691 rushing yards and seven touchdowns off 147 carries. In addition to that, he recorded 27 receptions for 164 yards and a score.

I got a feeling we’re going to talk about Texas Tech RB 28 Tahj Brooks this fall. He doesn’t move like a RB that’s listed at 5-10 230 but watch him block out of the backfield and level this defender. pic.twitter.com/6uv7CcuGoc

— Russell Brown (@RussNFLDraft) March 25, 2023

When you watch Brooks play, you’ll see how quick he is for a bigger back. Currently, he’s listed at 5-foot-10 and 230 pounds, but he doesn’t play like it. Shifty between the tackles, he can make defenders miss with his elusiveness, and he shakes off arm tackles with ease due to his strong lower half.

Throughout his career, he hasn’t been a game-changer in the stat column, but currently, he’s off to the best start of his career. Through four games this season, he’s averaged 6.8 yards per carry and is already up to 412 yards rushing. Right now, he’s on pace for over 1,200 rushing yards. While there may not be a clear-cut number one back in the 2024 NFL Draft outside of Blake Corum from Michigan and Trey Benson from Florida State, there’s potential for Tahj Brooks to move up draft boards.

Jayden Daniels (QB – LSU)

I’ve been a fan of Jayden Daniels since his arrival at Arizona State. He always displayed good mobility while being able to sling the football with ease. Once he transferred to LSU, the expectations for Daniels grew. Fortunately for Daniels and the Tigers, he’s started to meet those expectations.

In his first season at LSU, he completed 68.6% of his passes for over 2,900 yards with 17 touchdowns and three interceptions. In addition to that, he had 885 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns. While those were great stat lines for 2022, Daniels is proving that it was no fluke. He’s already off to a tremendous start, as the Tigers’ offense has the potential to be a high-powered threat at any given time.

So far this season, he is completing 72.6% of his passes with almost 1,300 yards passing and 12 touchdowns. In addition to that, he’s got 193 yards rushing so far. Through four games this season, Daniels has helped get LSU to a 3-1 record with a tough loss to Florida State. For Week 5 of the college football season, he’ll get the chance to show the nation what he’s about against on the road at Ole Miss.

This should be a high-scoring affair, but I do like what I’ve seen from Daniels. He’s continuously gotten better at working through his reads, and his ability to extend plays beyond the pocket is still there. I’m unsure if Daniels will be a first-round pick by the 2024 NFL Draft, but he certainly looks like an intriguing Day 2 option for an NFL team.