The Washington Commanders and rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels are in the honeymoon phase of what they hope is a long and prosperous relationship. Since being drafted by the Commanders almost two months ago, Daniels has gone through a rookie minicamp, Offseason Training Activities (OTAs), and the mandatory minicamp with Washington, and, by all accounts, Daniels has been as advertised.
Coaches and teammates alike have praised Daniels for his talent on the field and work ethic. Daniels has routinely been among the first to arrive ahead of OTAs every day, getting in some work and preparing for practice.
While none of this means anything now, this isn’t an act from Daniels. It’s who he is.
ESPN recently gave updates on all 32 first-round draft picks.
Here’s what Commanders reporter John Keim said about Daniels:
Daniels never looked overmatched or confused during spring practices, which is a key reason the Commanders had him working exclusively with the first group in the mandatory minicamp. Daniels impressed teammates and coaches with how prepared he was, a byproduct in part of showing up every day at 5:45 a.m. for film work and his own walk-through session. But he looked sharp throwing the ball with anticipation and in how he has gone through his progressions. So far, he is exactly the player they thought they had drafted.
Daniels will not be outworked. While there will be ups and downs throughout his rookie season, Daniels has faced them before with Arizona State before he played his final two seasons at LSU.
Daniels and Washington’s fellow rookies report to Ashburn for training camp on July 18.