CJ Daniels Prospect Profile With The Los Angeles Rams From The 2026 Rookie Super Model
NFL Draft

CJ Daniels Prospect Profile With The Los Angeles Rams From The 2026 Rookie Super Model

Dwain McFarland breaks down the Rookie Super Model profile of Miami (OH) wide receiver CJ Daniels.

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The Los Angeles Rams were widely projected draft a WR in the 2026 NFL Draft, but after passing on a slew of high-end talents in the first round they drafted CJ Daniels late in Day 3 as a bit of a surprise. You can find my complete profiles of the 2026 NFL Draft wide receiver prospects here.

If you're new to the model, here is an introductory breakdown of the Rookie Super Model, which rates players on a scale of 50 to 100 based on a composite score across Draft Capital, Production and Film. All of this data is integrated into our free NFL Draft Guide, full of big board rankings, mock drafts and more.

Additionally, you can find a glossary of terms and stats used in this breakdown at the bottom of the prospect profile.

Let's dive into what the model has to say about the wideout out of Miami (OH).

CJ Daniels Rookie Super Model Profile

  • Super Model Rating: 62
  • Draft Pick (Based on Mock Draft data): 197
  • Rookie Age: 24.7
  • Height: 74 inches
  • Weight: 202 pounds
  • Production Rating: 73
  • Film Rating: 68
  • Program Quality Rating: 74

NFL Draft Prospect Profile For CJ Daniels

Daniels played his first four years at Liberty. He averaged 48 YPG in his second season with a 1.65 RYPTPA, but injuries derailed his third season. He returned in Year 4 to post his best year with a 3.50 RYPTPA and 76 YPG. He played for LSU and Miami over his final two years, with RYPTPAs of 1.07 and 1.39.

  • Adjusted Career RYPTPA: 32nd percentile
  • Targeted QB Passer Rating: 120, 67th percentile

Adjusted Career RYPTPA: Career receiving yards per team pass attempt adjusted for age, strength of schedule, QB play, teammate competition, aDOT, and alignment. Doesn't count games missed.

Daniels was a good player when targeted, but his late breakout and inability to replicate RYPTPA success against stronger competition create big questions about his profile.

He was a good contested-catch player with a career mark of 62% and dropped only 3% of his passes. His 4.6 YAC was -0.5 over expected after adjusting for his aDOT of 13.6 (63rd percentile).

Lance Zierlein's assessment of Daniels matched the data as a contested-catch player, noting his late-separation ability and a "deep bag of tricks" to create separation. But there are concerns about his ability to beat press coverage, his deep speed and his YAC.

Daniels' closest Super Model comps:

Bottom line: Daniels didn't break out until Year 3 despite playing easier competition. His inability to replicate that over his final two years at bigger programs isn't ideal. He is a crafty contested-catch maven. Daniels could stick on the right roster, but he isn't a big-play threat. The Rookie Super Model correctly tabbed Daniels as a late Day 3 pick. He is a WR6 for fantasy prospecting purposes, and will have a tough time seeing any passes with target hogs Puka Nacua and Davante Adams ahead of him.

Glossary of Terms In The Prospect Profile

  • Adjusted Career RYPTPA: Career receiving yards per team pass attempt adjusted for age, strength of schedule, QB play, teammate competition, aDOT, and alignment. Doesn't count games missed.
  • aDOT: Average depth of target in yards.
  • Career Targeted QB Passer Rating: Passer rating on WR's targets.
  • Contested catch rate: Percentage of contested targets caught.
  • Contested catch rate over expected: Percentage of contested targets caught after adjusting for aDOT.
  • Draft Capital Rating: Based on Chase Stuart's Draft Value Chart, an improved version of what many know as the Jimmy Johnson trade chart. It accounts for the larger drop-off in the first round and a flatter drop-off around the end of the second round.
  • FDPRR: First downs per route run. Often shown as a percentage (first downs divided by routes).
  • Film Rating: Based on NFL.com prospect grades from Lance Zierlein.
  • Production Rating: A combination of adjusted career RYPTPA and career targeted QB passer rating.
  • Program Quality Rating: ESPN's College Football Power Index is used to assess program quality. The model accounts for each school a prospect attended.
  • RYPTPA: receiving yards per team pass attempt.
  • SOS Rating: Based on strength of schedule (SOS) from Sports Reference. The model accounts for each school the prospect attended.
  • Target Share: A player's percentage of team targets in games played.
  • TPRR: Targets per route run.
  • YAC: Average yards after the catch.
  • YAC over expected: YAC over expected after adjusting for aDOT.
  • YPG: Yards per game.
  • YPRR: Yards per route run.

Players Mentioned in this Article

  1. Andrei Iosivas
    AndreiIosivas
    WRCINCIN
    PPG
    4.9
    Proj
    68.8
  2. Romeo Doubs
    RomeoDoubs
    WRNENE
    PPG
    9.2
    Proj
    154.4

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