At the beginning of this week, it looked like a mere formality that LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels would be the next quarterback for the Washington Commanders.
However, a visit to Top Golf changed everything. We are kidding — sort of.
On the final day that NFL teams could host the top 30 visits at their team facilities, Washington did things a bit differently. It hosted a large group, including four of the top quarterback prospects in the 2024 NFL draft: Daniels, Drake Maye, J.J. McCarthy, and Michael Penix Jr.
On Wednesday, some questioned why the Commanders would host four quarterback prospects on one visit, although it’s been done multiple times over the years. Daniels’ agent saw the tweets and hit the “like” button on X—formerly Twitter—on two of those tweets.
Some thought it was much ado about nothing, while others thought it was extremely unprofessional.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter, who has long predicted Daniels to Washington, has seemingly backed off that “guess” in recent days. In an appearance on the “Pat McAfee Show” on Friday, Schefter mentioned the possibility that perhaps Daniels would like to play elsewhere.
“The signs point to Jayden Daniels, which they do, and the Commanders are going through it after this week, when again, I think it’s a situation where from the outset, Jayden Daniels has had an interest in being other places,” Schefter said.
“Now the interest is, “What do the Commanders do about that?” Schefter asked.
"It has been tracking for Jayden Daniels to go at number two..
It feels like Jayden Daniels has an interest in being other places..
We’ll see what the Washington Commanders do with that information" ~ @AdamSchefter #PMSLive https://t.co/6pVLDVMIHO pic.twitter.com/U7nijL0ZQw
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) April 19, 2024
Schefter then mentioned the Raiders as a possible option for Daniels, who played at Arizona State when head coach Antonio Pierce was an assistant there, and the two have remained close.
What do we make of this? Whether Daniels wants to play elsewhere or not, he has no choice if Washington selects him. And if Washington takes a player who supposedly wants to be elsewhere, who cares? Every year and in every sport, a player may have a preference, and that doesn’t stop teams from drafting them.
If Daniels is the guy for the Commanders, he’ll be the pick next week — and he’ll be fine. For his part, Schefter said signs still point to Washington selecting Daniels second overall.