John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
Is this made out of taffy? Plastic?
The biggest question ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft was how the quarterbacks would slot in after Caleb Williams. Was is the correct tense here, because now all anyone can talk about is what the hell is up with Jayden Daniels’ elbow, which looks like a design from a rejected action figure.
It all stems from an Ian Rapoport tweet, with a photo that’s impossible to parse.
Daniels’ arm looks like it’s made from moulded plastic. Nothing connects in a way that looks natural. His elbow has an underbite, like the distended jaw of a xenomorph in Alien. This has caused a lot of people to wonder if something is wrong, and there’s no shortage of verified “doctors” paying for Twitter who are giving full diagnoses based off one photo.
The truth is: This is just a really bizarre photo. It happens. This was taken during the November 4 game between LSU and Alabama in 2023. While Daniels definitely has a pronounced and pointy elbow, there are dozens of photos of him throwing in that game and his arm looks totally normal.
Butch Dill-USA TODAY Sports
Sometimes photos of athletes in motion can just look … weird. It doesn’t mean that there’s something wrong, or a giant red flag — muscles can line up in bizarre ways and when photographed at the right time, from the right angle we all can look like aliens.
If you’re suddenly concerned about Jayden Daniels based off one photo: Don’t be. There are so many layers of checks and balances in pre-draft medical and physical checks that if there was actually a red flag the entire league would know about it. It’s not like his arm is going to fall off in three months just because it looks like it’s held together with bubble gum.
We can just appreciate how weird this photo looks, and nothing more.
