For safety Robert McDaniel, his journey to the NFL feels more like a circle. He began his college career at Jackson State before transferring, only to return for his final season. A versatile cornerback who began at slot corner, he bounced to the outside before returning to primarily function as a big nickel.
That circle is over. McDaniel is drawing a line forward and straight to the NFL.
Despite dominating on offense and defense in high school, McDaniel was lightly recruited. During an interview he held with me earlier this week, he remembered having just two college offers: a D-II school in Arkansas and Jackson State. He joined the Tigers for the 2019 season, though by 2020, he was on the move to Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, a step back to take future steps ahead.
“Everybody had hopes of playing higher-level competition of football and that was, one of my main goals was to try to do,” he says in our interview. “So to get there, I actually had the connection to get to Mississippi Gulf Coast, go there, develop more. Get bigger, stronger, faster. Whatever I need to do.”
Mission accomplished. By 2022, he was back at the FCS level, this time joining Alcorn State. Despite struggling to see starting reps, he still was named a second-team HBCU All-American. His stats warranted it. Thirty tackles, eight pass breakups, three forced fumbles, and three interceptions. High levels of efficiency.
There was more work to do, and McDaniel wanted to go somewhere else to do it. Transferring again, he ended up where he started. Still with strong connections, he rejoined Jackson State for the 2024 season and helped lead a championship unit.
“I was able to have one of my best seasons yet,” McDaniel said. “Capping off a historic year, becoming the HBCU National Champion, SWAC Champion. Just being able to make history with the team that I started with.”
Jackson State went 12-2, with one of those losses coming against FBS UL-Monroe, a game that was close nearly the whole way through it. After a slow start, McDaniel and the Tigers’ defense locked things down on the way to a national title, allowing just 9.5 points per game over their final six contests. Doing a bit of everything, McDaniel continued to stuff the stat sheet: 55 tackles (10 for a loss), 4.5 sacks, three interceptions, and two forced fumbles.
Physically, McDaniel looks the part of a future NFL player. At 6-2 and 213 pounds with the ability to run and hit, those physical tools would’ve been enough to make him a college success. But McDaniel’s football intelligence takes him to another level, playing in a complicated Jackson State defense. You won’t find simple spot-drop coverage here. The Tigers played a match defense where route combinations dictate responsibilities. This means that players had to be ready to adjust on the fly, and communication was key. Though he played outside and in the slot as a nickel corner, McDaniel was central in that communication.
“Being the nickel, I always have to set the defense. It really just depends on what type of game plan we was going into,” he said. “Or who we want to match me up against. If we was gonna set the nickel passing strength or just the strength of the defense in general to the passing strength. Or the weak side where maybe a tight end would be.
“So just being able to be right there, my coach giving me the opportunity to make a nickel call so I can be able to help everybody else get lined up.”
After McDaniel got everyone else set, he let his play do the talking. A hard hitter who made runners pay for jogging out of bounds, his size, strength, and physicality are traits that play at any level of football.
“When the pads come on, it’s just a different story. The coaches always say, ‘We got pads and helmets, you gotta be able to use it,'” McDaniel said. “And when I go into any game, anytime I get a tackle or anything, I’m not trying to ankle bite, you know? Every time I’m able to get my hands on, you’re going to most definitely feel it.”
Our scouting report centered on the hard-hitting element of his game. While still being a sure tackler in the open field, McDaniel threw his weight around when coming downhill. We gave him a fifth-round grade, higher than his current draft projection, and below, you can see that intensity (he’s No. 3) on display.
McDaniel’s college season didn’t end with Jackson State’s title. Invited to the HBCU Combine Legacy Bowl, it served as a chance to show out in front of nothing but NFL scouts. He crushed his testing, running a 4.55 40-yard dash with the best broad jump (10’8″) and third-best vertical (38.5 inches) of anyone who attended. He credited X3 Performance in Nashville for the training to bring out his best.
That performance carried over to the bowl game, McDaniel finishing with a pass breakup.
“My goal was to go there and show them why I am one of the top prospects in this class,” he said. “Continue to show my versatility, continue to show my athleticism on full-scale being in front of all 32 scouts.”
So far, he’s yet to have contact with the Pittsburgh Steelers, though it shouldn’t be taken as a sign of the team having zero interest in McDaniel. The NFL certainly has been taking extra looks, consistently in contact with him and his agent.
“It’s been some with the Patriots, Rams, Patriots, Vikings, Commanders,” he said. “It’s actually been a decent amount [of teams] that actually have been showing interest. Also, the Cowboys as well.”
Come draft weekend, there won’t be a huge party. Instead, McDaniel will spend it with family and close friends. The faces he began his football journey with. Like the story of his career, a full-circle moment.
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