NFL Rookie Spotlight: Jayden Daniels

After struggling through years of disappointment, the Washington Commanders desperately needed fresh talent to lead their offense going into the 2024 season. Jayden Daniels, former LSU and Arizona State quarterback, made a name for himself throughout his five years playing college football. Coming out of Cajon High School in San Bernardino, California, he committed to Arizona State (ASU) and played there for three years. During his freshman year at ASU, he threw for 2943 yards, with 17 touchdowns and only 2 interceptions. After this promising start, he then threw for 3081 yards, with 15 touchdowns and 11 interceptions during his sophomore and junior seasons. Daniels loved his time at ASU but transferred to LSU to reach his “untapped potential.” During his first season at LSU, he threw for 2913 yards, with 17 touchdowns and 3 interceptions, reigniting the promising talent he showed during his freshman year. During his fifth and final season, he threw for 3812 yards, with 40 touchdowns and 4 interceptions, walking away with the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Offensive Player of the Year award and the Heisman Award, given to the best college football player of the season.

As Daniels wrapped up his college career, he prepared for the 2024 NFL draft, where he was selected as the second overall pick by the Washington Commanders. He went into his week 1 matchup at Tampa Bay with high expectations, where he threw for 184 yards with 0 touchdowns and 0 interceptions. Although these stats are not ideal, he rushed for 88 yards and scored 2 rushing touchdowns, demonstrating his agility and quick reaction time during open play. Washington fell short versus Tampa during their opening game, although thus far throughout the season, they're sitting at the top of the NFC East with a 7-2 record. Over 9 weeks, Jayden Daniels has thrown for1,945 yards, with 9 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. He’s on pace to throw 3,674 yards and 17 touchdowns by the end of the season.

Jayden Daniels has had many promising moments throughout the season, although one play, in particular, against the Chicago Bears in Week 8, stands out compared to the rest. With 2 seconds left on the clock, Washington was down 15-12. Marked 62 yards away from the field goal, their only option was a Hail Mary pass from none other than rookie Jayden Daniels. As the Washington offense fought to allow Daniels to throw, he launched it from 75 yards, and it fell into a crowd of players, who bounced into the hands of wide receiver Noah Brown, who was standing by himself in the endzone. Washington won 15-18.

Overall, Jayden Daniels has carried his talent over from college to the NFL. He is currently the front-runner to win Offensive Rookie of the Year (OROTY) and is even in contention for the MVP award. Showing his potential to be one of the greats, there are still many weeks to come along with many years ahead in Jayden Daniels’s promising career.

By Luke Sommerville