Danny Kanell was a successful college quarterback, and while his time in the NFL didn't go as well, he did spend parts of seven seasons in the league and made 43 appearances, including 24 starts. He was also twice selected in the MLB Draft before his NFL tenure, so his athleticism is not in question.
He also knows and has seen a lot when it comes to QBs coming out of college, and as it relates to the No. 2 pick for the Commanders…there are a few reasons he is high on Drake Maye.
"I like Jayden Daniels, but if I'm at 2 and Caleb Williams is gone, I'm going Drake Maye all day," Kanell said. "I went through a tape of his two years ago against App State, his second start, and it was a shootout – I was watching him go through his progressions, and the ease with which he was operating in the pocket, I was blown away with it. He's more mobile than you think and has great pocket awareness, of where pressure comes from – and he just kept getting better and better."
Kanell hasn't talked to Williams or Daniels but has talked to Maye, and says he's 'so easily likeable you want to root for him,' but 'the game backs up the opinion,' and he has two other brothers who have won National Titles in basketball and baseball, so his pedigree is unquestioned.
But what if the Commanders love Williams as much as anyone and want to move up to get him?
"If they like Caleb Williams as much as anyone else does? I am of the mindset that draft picks are overrated, so do what you have to do to move up one spot if you think he's that special and the future," Kanell said. "Take him and worry about the rest later."
To Grant, giving up 34 and 40 and a 2025 first isn't worth the squeeze with all the holes on the Commanders' roster, as that could be two or three impact players, but again, 'F those picks.'
"You're also under the assumption that those picks are going to work out," Kanell said. "The reason I'd be comfortable taking Drake Maye at 2 is because Caleb Williams does have some flaws. There's no such thing as the perfect prospect, and last year, Bryce Young vs. C.J. Stroud is the ultimate example. Environment plays a factor too, but those picks could be so much talent. If you feel Williams is a generational talent, you move up, but if not, you're comfortable with Maye at 2."
Take a listen to Kanell's entire segment above, where he goes even more in-depth on Maye vs. Daniels and more!
