Jayden Daniels earning rave reviews from Commanders teammates coaches
The Commanders have only seen No. 2 overall pick Jayden Daniels in person for a handful of days during non-contact drills at rookie minicamp, but the reigning Heisman Trophy winner has already made quite the impression.
Though he’s facing zero pressure and throwing without pads on, his coaches and fellow teammates have noticed that Daniels already looks comfortable running Washington’s offense under new offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury.
“Right off the bat, you can tell he’s an extremely talented player,” tight end Zach Ertz told reporters. “It kind of jumps out at you when you’re on the field with him. The arm talent is there. But also, he really, really cares about this thing. He wants to be as good as he can possibly be. He’s working his butt off. I know he’s doing a lot behind the scenes to make himself as prepared as possible.”
“He has a plan for studying, he has a plan for practice, he has a plan for watching film,” added Kingsbury. “He knows what he wants to be and where he wants to go. To be that young and come in there with that mindset is really encouraging.”
Jayden Daniels dropping dimes pic.twitter.com/RFCCsBmzHn
— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) May 11, 2024
Daniels completed all 12 passes in seven-on-seven drills during his first practice on Tuesday, and his accuracy is one of the reasons Washington drafted him second overall last month.
He completed 70.2% of his passes in his two seasons at LSU, including a 72.2 completion percentage in 2023. The 23-year-old passed for 3,812 yards, 40 touchdowns and four interceptions en route to the Heisman.
Beyond his accuracy, Daniels has reportedly shown flashes of poise and preparedness not typically seen with most rookie QBs.
“He’s intentional in everything he does, which I like,” Kingsbury said. “That’s what we had heard about him coming up, and that’s what he’s been since he’s been here.”
