On draft weekend in April, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers couldn't call Jalon Daniels until all the picks had been made, but fortunately they had already established a strong relationship with the prolific Kansas quarterback. And when they did eventually reach out, Daniels was pleased to get the call.
In the weeks leading up to the draft each spring, every NFL team is allowed to bring in up to 30 draft-eligible prospects for meetings at their headquarters. These are known as "Top 30" or just "30" visits, and they are not always reserved for likely early-round prospects. This year, Daniels was on the Bucs' 30 list, and his visit helped it later when he was deciding between different suitors as an undrafted free agent.
"I kind of just fell in love with the staff, how much they poured into me just even on my 30 visit, just how much I felt I was going to be able to learn from the coaching staff here, the environment, the teammates that I now have that I met when I was on my 30 visit," gushed Daniels after the Buccaneers' final OTA practice on Thursday. It meant a lot to me, being able to have so many people who poured into me before they even got the chance to know me. When I got the opportunity to be able to come here after the draft I was like, 'Alright, Tampa Bay is going to be the place I go.'"
Daniels' second visit to the AdventHealth Training Center came two weekends after the draft, when the Buccaneers held their rookie minicamp. He has since taken every opportunity to soak up more knowledge from Quarterbacks Coach Chandler Whitmer, Offensive Coordinator Zac Robinson and Pass Game Coordinator T.J. Yates. The minicamp lasted three days and there have since been eight OTA practices, plus plenty of meeting-room time.
"I think the key thing for me is continuing to have fun with it," he said. "Like I said on my 30 visit, I had a lot of coaches pour into me while I was here, so when I got here the main thing for me was continuing to be able to work with Coach Chandler, continue to work with Coach Z-Rob, continue to work with Coach T.J. They've done a tremendous job being able to break down this level of the game for me, step by step, every single practice all the way from rookie minicamp since I touched down here."
Starting quarterback Baker Mayfield, who has navigated eight previous NFL offseasons and absorbed the playbooks from nearly as many coordinators, is also a good figure for Daniels to mimic as he acclimates ot the NFL and Robinson's playbook. The two have a similar size and both use good mobility to their advantage.
"For me, it's about being able to see what he's doing and being able to pick up little things," said Daniels. "Obviously, he's going on Year Nine in the NFL now. He's played this game for quite some time and he has a lot of knowledge within his game that I don't have yet. Every little thing that I want to work on, I ask him those questions."
Daniels played parts of six seasons at Kansas, eventually starting 45 games and becoming the first four-time team captain in program history. In his time with the Jayhawks he threw for 9,282 yards and 6 touchdowns and also ran for 1,451 yards and another 23 scores. He is just the second player in school annals to exceed 10,000 career yards of total offense. On the Bucs' practice field, he has already impressed with his live arm and ability to create on the run. Still, he knows it's a whole new game at the next level.
"First of all, having more on your plate as a quarterback, especially pre-snap," he said. "I think there's a lot more pre-snap communication that goes on that goes into the offense. Also, the speed of the game. You're now going against D-Linemen who have ran 4.4, 4.5 guys at the Combine. You're not just going to be able to beat everyone with your speed anymore like you could in college and high school. Being able to make sure that you're processing the game mentally as much as you are physically.
"After rookie minicamp, I'm sitting here like, 'Alright, bet. I've got a grasp of the offense, I know exactly what I'm doing.' Then you get put in there with the veterans and you're like, 'Oh, so I don't even have 10 percent of what I thought I knew.' It's also been like a journey in that manner as well, because when you really think you have it in this game, you really don't. You don't want to get hit by that tire that's rolling behind you.
Fortunately, Daniels clearly enjoys doing just about anything on a football field. The words "fun" and "dream come true" came up often during his talk with the press and every answer was accompanied by a laugh or a smile. He's looking forward to even more exciting experiences when the preseason games arrive, and he's likely to see a lot of action on those three evenings.
"It's all about being able to have fun," he said. "If you're going out there and having fun and not worrying about anything external, just being able to make sure that you're handling your assignment every single play, you're going to go out there and have a blast. Being at the NFL level is a dream come true and I won't take any of it for granted. When the preseason does come I'm going to go out there and have fun every single day."
