Over the last few months, when draft analysts and fans debated which quarterbacks would go early in the 2024 NFL draft, the focus was often on the Washington Commanders.
Why Washington? Everyone assumed — correctly — that the Bears would take USC quarterback Caleb Williams. Washington held the No. 2 overall pick, and the intrigue began there.
The debate was whether it would be Jayden Daniels (LSU), Drake Maye (North Carolina) or J.J. McCarthy (Michigan) for the Commanders. Many pointed out that Daniels would be a perfect fit for new offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury.
The choice ended up being Daniels, and general manager Adam Peters said the Commanders had been set on him for a while.
Now that Daniels is a Commanders, former NFL player Bucky Brooks, who now works in the media with the NFL Network and Fox Sports, recently named eight players who were a perfect fit with their new teams.
Unsurprisingly, Daniels topped his list.
If Kliff Kingsbury follows the blueprint that helped Kyler Murray win 2019 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, Daniels could also walk away with some hardware at the end of the 2024 regular season. The 6-foot-4, 210-pounder is a playmaking machine with elite traits as a passer and runner. Daniels can carve up defenders with surgical precision from the pocket or create chaos on the perimeter as a dynamic scrambler with exceptional speed, quickness, and burst. After watching Kingsbury quickly build an offense around a similar athlete in Arizona that resulted in a QB1 producing 3,500-plus pass yards and 500-plus rush yards with 20-plus total touchdowns, Daniels could blow those numbers out of the water directing a fast-break offense that fully utilizes his skills a dual-threat playmaker.
It’s difficult to compare players, but other than being dynamic throwers and runners of the football, there are major differences between Kyler Murray and Daniels. Daniels is a more advanced passer than Murray was early in his NFL career, but Brooks’ point remains valid. Kingsbury could unlock Daniels’ elite ability as a dual threat with his scheme and play-calling.