NFL Draft: Commanders take Jayden Daniels No. 2, hope he leads them through a new era
The 2023 Heisman Trophy winner is the new face of the franchise in Washington
There were many steps the Washington Commanders needed to take to distance themselves from the horrendous Daniel Snyder era. One of the biggest was getting a new, marketable quarterback.
We’ll see over time if Jayden Daniels becomes a star, but he’ll be the face of a fresh start in Washington.
With the second overall pick of the NFL Draft, the Commanders selected Daniels, who is coming off an incredible season at LSU. After many years of searching for an answer at quarterback, from Robert Griffin III, Kirk Cousins, Alex Smith, Dwayne Haskins, Taylor Heinicke and Sam Howell, the Commanders are hoping for a more permanent answer at the most visible position.
Changing ownership was the first obvious move in distancing from the Snyder era. There is a new coach in Dan Quinn. The franchise is hoping for a new stadium. And on Thursday, the Commanders got their new quarterback.
Jayden Daniels had a special 2023 season
Daniels continued to get better as his college career went on, and it culminated in a historic season for LSU.
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Daniels started at Arizona State, had three decent seasons (including one COVID-shortened one) and transferred to LSU. He accounted for 28 total touchdowns in 2022 and came into the 2023 season right behind Caleb Williams in the odds to win the Heisman Trophy. Daniels blew away even the loftiest expectations, passing for 3,814 yards and 40 touchdowns, with just four interceptions, and rushing for 1,134 yards and 10 touchdowns. He won the Heisman Trophy and saw his NFL Draft stock soar.
Daniels' dual-threat ability is a perfect fit for the current era of NFL quarterbacks.
Daniels is a dynamic playmaker but not a perfect prospect. He needs to protect himself better as a runner, especially at a slender 210 pounds. Here is Yahoo Sports' Nate Tice on some of Daniels' potential drawbacks as a passer:
"Since his arm strength isn’t overwhelming, he will have to keep speeding up how he works through his reads, as the windows are tighter and close quicker in the NFL. And for a guy with this many career starts (55) in college, I am curious (and have some hesitation) about how much more he can speed it up as he steps up a level."
Even if there are some things to iron out in Daniels' game, his ability and production were undeniable. Daniels immediately becomes one of the NFL's most exciting quarterbacks.
Washington settles on Jayden Daniels
The Commanders were in a good spot to take a new quarterback. Caleb Williams was off the board to the Chicago Bears with the first pick, but Washington knew that would be the case for months and could study the other quarterbacks on the board.
Washington could choose between top prospects Drake Maye, Daniels and J.J. McCarthy. New Washington general manager Adam Peters made it clear he wasn’t entertaining offers to trade the pick, indicating he liked one of the options.
There was some question about Daniels’ desire to go to Washington. His agent was apparently not happy that the Commanders brought in four quarterback prospects at the same time for a visit. There was a report that Daniels preferred to play for the Las Vegas Raiders or Minnesota Vikings. But Daniels said on Wednesday he was “100 percent” OK being drafted by the Commanders. And Washington wasn’t going to let the outside noise change its selection.
A fresh start is already underway in Washington. The Commanders hope Daniels gives the fans who checked out during the Snyder era another reason to come back.
