Luke Braun's Film Room: Jayden Daniels — An Examination Of Feet

Luke Braun uses his obsession with other people's feet to evaluate Jayden Daniels, quarterback from LSU.

Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images

Dual-threat quarterbacks constantly endure criticisms about their play from the pocket, whether or not they are unfounded. Jayden Daniels is the next dual-threat to enter the league and therefore be exposed to the same media apparatus that asked Lamar Jackson to move to wide receiver.

Daniels’ running ability is apparent to anyone whose YouTube autoplay pulled up his JustBombs highlights. There’s no question worth a drawn-out discussion. We shouldn’t, however, assume that just because Jayden Daniels can run that he can’t play from the pocket. We also shouldn’t assume, just from his gaudy passing statistics, that he can. 

Some laud Daniels for quiet footwork, some say he gets “toesy”. Ryan Porter, former Arena League quarterback and mentor to Daniels, said he had old man feet? Whatever that means. 

Rex Ryan, you are not allowed to read this. We’re diving deep on feet. 

[Ed. note: I had nothing to do with this]

An Annoyingly Detailed Description Of Quarterback Stances

The goal for the large majority of QB mechanics is to set up for an accurate pass. Once you’re set up to throw, the process turns to full-body biomechanics, which I covered in a previous article. Today, we’re sticking to everything that happens from the snap to the beginning of the throwing process.

Imagine a line from toe to toe. That end goal is to point that line at your target. The second part of the goal is to stay on time. Timing is precise in the NFL. Too early and your receiver won’t be ready. Too late and defenders can jump into your throwing lane. If you’re aligned properly and on time, it doesn’t make much difference how you get there.

That means we have to start with stance. Generally, there are three valid stance options for a quarterback: right foot back, left foot back, or balanced feet. Your feet should be shoulder width apart with the back foot’s toe line at the middle of the front foot. 

Which foot is back is where the debate occurs. Former Rams quarterback and current Buccaneers quarterback John Wolford wrote a great blog post about the pros and cons of each, but it’s important to align the same way every time. Some things are easier with one foot back and some are easier from a balanced stance, but if you change it up it can give the defense vital information. So whichever you choose, stick to it.

Jayden Daniels is a right-foot-back quarterback. As Wolford describes, right-foot-back alignments are better for quick game. To the left, your toes start out already aligned to where they need to be.