Tag: LSU QB Jayden Daniels

Commanders minicamp summary: Daniels already leading

Jayden Daniels already displaying leadership qualities.

Former U.S. Army 5-Star General and U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower said, “Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it.”

Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels might not be aware that Eisenhower spoke of leadership this way. However, he is already leading the Commanders.

In the video “At the Top of the Pile,” Daniels speaks of his parents’ leadership. He understands he is not a self-made man; his parents led and sacrificed for his benefit.

“Without them, I wouldn’t be here;  how hard they worked, what they instilled in me to be a great human being. Not just a football player, but a person who treats people with respect and gains the respect of others. Nothing’s given to you in this life; you got to go out and earn everything.”

Prior to the April NFL draft, we learned that Daniels would show up early in the morning and influenced other LSU Tigers to join him. Now, in his initial NFL offseason, Daniels has again been reporting very early to the Commanders’ facilities in Ashburn.

This week, during the Commanders’ mandatory mini-camp, Daniels was asked about his current routine as an NFL rookie quarterback. The second overall pick responded, “I get here around 5:45, like walking through the bubble, watching film, stuff like that.”

“It was a routine I had in college, but now I’m in there actually walking through because I’m still learning the playbook and trying to grasp everything. So, just being comfortable for the day, being ready to go out there and compete and practice.”

Daniels was then asked, “Are you by yourself when you are doing that?” His response was, “Me and Luke McCaffrey.”

Plain and simple, the rookie quarterback is leading, and he already has another rookie (McCaffrey) coming in early to work with Daniels as well.

The two rookies now instinctively realize the other guy is coming in early, so both need to be there, too. In that sense, they are both influencing each other to get to bed early enough to get to work early enough to prepare for the day’s work. That’s how mutual accountability works.

It is also true that Daniels’ leadership is getting McCaffrey to do something, Daniels wants done because McCaffrey wants to do it.

 

Jayden Daniels: ‘I didn’t get a vibe the Commanders would take me’

Daniels said he wasn’t sure he’d be the Commanders’ pick at No. 2.

Dan Quinn was impressed with Adam Peters from the time he first was named the new head coach of the Washington Commanders.

In their new video, “Top of the Pile,” Quinn expressed that prior to the draft, he had enjoyed traveling with Peters, scouting and discussing prospects. “Man, have I been impressed with how on point they (Peters and his staff) are and ready for this moment (NFL draft).”

LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels, on the video, reveals he wasn’t sure who was going to draft him on draft night. “If I’m being honest, I didn’t really get a vibe that the Commanders would take me. They did a good job of keeping everything in-house, of not letting out leaks or showing favoritism.”

“I had a good feeling that they liked me a lot, but the draft can play any type of way. I didn’t know I was going to be a Commander until my phone started ringing.” It was Adam Peters’s call to welcome Daniels to the Commanders and to express he was proud to select Daniels to be the one to represent the franchise.

“It was a surreal moment,” said Daniels. “To really just see your phone ring and talk to AP (Peters), Josh, DQ and tell them thank you for choosing me, believing in me.”

“I teared up a little bit. My family teared up because they have seen me work hard to get to this point, so it was an emotional time,” said Daniels.

Daniels says that when he walked out onto the stage, he saw Commanders’ fans going crazy and cheering, so he naturally responded with a scream of joy.

Quinn took a moment to assure and encourage former Redskins quarterback and Super Bowl XXII MVP Doug Williams, “You’re going to be a big part of him (Daniels). I couldn’t think of anybody better to be around than you if I was a QB coming up.”

Williams responded, “I’ve been knowing him a little bit; I’ve known him since (he was) 18.” Quinn replied, “You’re going to know him a lot better soon.”

Who does PFF analyst prefer the Commanders take at No. 2 overall?

PFF analyst discusses the top three QB options for the Commanders.

Sam Monson was a guest on the “Kevin Sheehan Show” and discussed the top quarterbacks available when the Commanders are on the clock, Thursday night, for the second overall pick.

Here are some selected quotes from Monson.

Each of these guys (quarterbacks) has something that scares you:

“Drake Maye misses way too many of these layups…it’s true, why is it there? And can we fix it?”

“Jayden Daniels’ great season was when he was throwing to multiple first-round receivers. That is absolutely a factor…He, for his career, has had a really concerning, problematic pressure to sack rate…generally, that data translates well to the NFL.”

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“J.J. McCarthy has a real lack of tape. He just didn’t have the same responsibilities and requirements of the other top quarterbacks. He was on a dominant national championship team that didn’t want or need him to throw the football.”

“Maye had the most big-time throws of any of the other quarterbacks the last two seasons…he has an incredible volume of big plays and the capability to do special things.”

“Michael Penix has a lot of talent, and coaches love that guy. Whatever are the intangible things they are looking for, he’s got them…He has the arm to make things happen. He has the athleticism, way more than he ever deployed in college. Maybe extending plays and scrambling can be a bigger part of his game at the NFL level.”

“The conversation (Commanders pick) has been a lot about Daniels; the narrative on Maye has been overwhelmingly negative. Be prepared; the NFL likes that guy (McCarthy) more than anyone else does. He is going to go higher than you think he will. I wouldn’t rule out the possibility that McCarthy goes No. 2.”

“He (Daniels) needs to change the way he plays in that regard (running). He makes special things happen, but come on, we need you to slide at the end of this play. We need you on the next down. Jayden takes some of the most ridiculous hits for a guy his size and ability.”

“He (Daniels) plays the game with this Josh Allen recklessness, only minus 35 pounds. That can’t work at the next level. You need to be more cognizant of protecting yourself.”

If he were selecting at No. 2 overall, Monson said he would select Drake Maye.

Robert Griffin applauds the Commanders’ GM Adam Peters

Robert Griffin III with some good analysis on the Commanders this time, concerning Adam Peters and the No. 2 pick.

Robert Griffin III believes his being the second overall pick by Washington in 2012 is impacting the decisions the Commanders will make in Thursday night’s draft.

Griffin, the 2011 Heisman Trophy winner at Baylor, was chosen second overall by Washington in the 2012 draft, in which Washington traded three first-round selections (2012, 2013, 2014) and a second-round pick (2012).

A guest on the “Rich Eisen Show” Tuesday, Griffin saw his choice as analogous to Jayden Daniels for Washington Thursday night.

“Where did Adam Peters come from?” asked Griffin. He came from San Francisco. What did San Francisco just deal with two years ago? They had a highly drafted quarterback in the first round, and they had the last pick in the draft, which they used to pick Brock Purdy.”

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Now, Trey Lance, in all fairness to him, didn’t get a chance to play because he was hurt and didn’t get a chance to show that he could be that guy. But Brock Purdy was the last choice in the draft, was a guy’s guy. The whole team gravitated towards him. And I feel like Adam Peters was just trying to get a sense, which one of these quarterbacks do the guys gravitate towards?”

Griffin said that outside of Caleb Williams, the other quarterbacks are all athletic and very similar in ability. Griffin expressed that because there previously was such criticism of Washington, people still automatically wondered what they were doing last week, having all four quarterbacks in at once for a group activity.

“I would say, Rich, the highlights are on the film, but the character isn’t. The organization in Washington is just trying to find the right character guys to build a team around, and I actually applaud them for that. Because character is not really something the team has been associated with for the past twenty years.”

“So, I want fans to understand. If you create a negative environment for a guy like Jayden Daniels coming in, it’s only going to breed more negativity once he’s drafted.”

“I hope they just give these guys a clean slate, whoever Washington decides to take. It’s their decision; it’s who they believe in. I want that for them. The situation with me and Kirk Cousins in Washington in 2012 was a situation where the owner and the head coach were fighting against each other.”

“You don’t want that to be repeated. So, whoever they believe in, go draft that guy…I just believe, Rich, that Jayden is the best guy for them.”

Aside from Griffin presenting that he was a victim in 2012, this was actually his best interview regarding Washington in some time.

PFT says Commanders treated QB prospects like ‘lab rats’ during interviews

More nonsense from from Washington’s favorite critic.

Pro Football Talk blasted the Commanders on Friday.

The Commanders had entertained multiple players, including four quarterbacks, earlier in the week. It was a job interview, and apparently, Josh Harris and the Commanders were really out of line, according to Mike Florio and Myles Simmons.

“I think it is imperative to bring in these guys (quarterbacks) one at a time, know everything you can about them, get them all in with you. And that is where this has kind of gone off the rails for the Commanders. Because I’m hearing belief that maybe Jayden Daniels is not all that interested now in going to the Commanders,” Florio said during Friday’s installment of “PFT Live.”

Simmons replied: “You can pick up another asset (not picking Daniels and trading down), but is that going to be worth it if you are playing games and you don’t get the exact quarterback that you sensibly have fallen in love with throughout this draft process? To me, that would not make much sense. But, there are a lot of things about the way the Commanders have gone about, let’s call it, the last week that have not made much sense to me.”

Added Florio: “Here is the other thing I’ve picked up from somebody that I trust immensely, who is very plugged into the ownership scene. Josh Harris? A lot more involved than they thought he would be. … They brought them all in on the same day because that’s the day Mr. Harris was available to see them. That’s the only plausible explanation for having them there.

“Here is the danger, the David Tepper danger. This is when the owner is involved in any way. … At the end of the day, if you get it wrong, you better get it wrong with the guy the boss wanted. Your worst-case scenario is, the boss wanted this guy, and you went with that (other) guy, and that guy stinks. … Your long-term job prospects are best suited by giving the boss what you think the boss wants, and it all comes down to how vocal the boss is.

“You are the No. 2  guy. The people who know what they are doing, have Jayden Daniels as the clear No. 2 guy. So, when you have your visit to this team, that wants you supposedly, and the day is diluted by the three other quarterbacks being there. At some level you are going to be pissed. … There’s red flags there, and it all flows back to how the Commanders have handled it. It’s not anything about Jayden Daniels. It’s how the Commanders have handled Jayden Daniels.”

Wow, has it not yet occurred to Florio that comparing Harris to Tepper is extremely unfair to Harris? If Harris proves himself to be a Tepper, then yes. But for now, doesn’t that seem like attacking Harris prematurely?

Second, do Florio and Simmons fail to comprehend the Commanders have not presented any signs whatsoever that Daniels is obviously their guy?

Third, they are flat-out wrong because several analysts also think Drake Maye should be the second selection. The situation is not as simple as Florio and Simmons erroneously believe it to be.

Fourth, are any of the other quarterbacks who visited complaining about the process? So how can Florio and Simmons logically conclude it has to be the Commanders at fault in how they handled Daniels this week?

Simmons then proceeded to say twice the Commanders’ process was “disrespectful” to the prospective quarterbacks, expressing, “I am confused by this approach.”

Though Adam Peters and Lance Newmark stated there were both individual meetings and group time, this simply does not satisfy Florio and Simmons. Florio then called it “the strategy the Commanders concocted; I know people and am a student of the human condition. It’s disrespectful, it’s disrespectful to all of them.”

Florio then said the Commanders were treating the quarterbacks “like lab rats in a weird sort of way. … Let’s just put them in a room together and see how they act. Maybe one will kill the other three, and that will clearly be the right choice for us. … There is an element of evil scientist that comes through this, that is just offputting to me as an outsider.”

Florio then called it “this weird power-trip [expletive].”

Here is the video of their entire discussion:

 

 

Chris Cooley: How is Jayden Daniels not the Commanders pick?

Count Chris Cooley among those impressed with Jayden Daniels.

Former Washington Redskins tight end Chris Cooley appeared as a guest on the “Kevin Sheehan Show” podcast over the weekend, providing his film breakdown of Jayden Daniels.

Cooley began, “So I’m in my third game, and I’m like, this is like a walking highlight tape. You’re just watching throws…and it’s a highlight tape. It’s insane. Jayden Daniels is incredible.”

Pretty early Cooley commented on Daniels being exceptionally agile and knowing how to slide. “Except for when he doesn’t. Because he gets smoked. He’s gonna have to learn that…He knows how to slide. I think he’s just competitive as a runner. He gets freakin’ waxed in the first half of the Ole Miss game, which is a first half that is like 31-28 with unbelievable offense. But he got hit in the face so hard and fumbled and went up in the air…you gotta know that that’s not a hit you need to take. Especially a quarterback, and he took three or four in that game.”

Chris acknowledged Daniels only weighs 210 but quickly added he could gain weight and be up to 225 in two years.

“He can get through progressions, at least can read the defense and identify who’s going to be open and where they’re gonna be open and throw the ball in rhythm and timing that is relatable to that concept.”

“He’s good out of a bunch set. Layering the ball down the field over linebackers on some of the little run-action, play-action throws. To really drive it in over linebackers is awesome. I think he’s very accurate.”

“He takes some risks, but I think he also takes necessary risks in the moments of the game where you’re like, Oh, that’s a bad decision…But a lot of the times, I think he’s got a good flow for the game and how he’s managing exactly that.”

Cooley lauded Daniels ability to run not as good but dangerously good. “He’s obviously a massive problem when he gets out in the open field…It’s not like he’s gonna gain 8 to 12 yards and slide, but he can get you 45 to 50 and outrun the entire defense.”

Touch on the ball is something Cooley liked, but he did notice that Daniels does not possess the strongest of passing arms. “I don’t think he’s got a rifle. He can really let it go; he can throw a ball downfield and throw a ball downfield with a ton of arc – he does a great job on deep balls – but I don’t think he’s got a throw it across the field to 17 yards on a comeback gun. To me, that’s not what I see.”

Concluding his review, Cooley praised Daniels, “I thought overall he’s really freakin’ special. To me, he seemed an incredibly experienced college quarterback. He’s calm in the pocket; his demeanor is absolutely tremendous. He makes big-time throws…I think his discipline is good, his timing is good… he’s a walking freaking highlight reel.”

Cooley asked, “How is this not your pick?”

As expected Commanders hosting Maye and Daniels next week

The Commanders get some face time with Maye and Daniels next week — one week before the NFL draft.

Well, that didn’t take long.

Just 24 hours ago, Commanders Wire encouraged Commanders fans not to make too much of Tuesday’s announcement that Jayden Daniels would visit the Commanders next week.

Though Adam Schefter, Brian Kelly and Colin Cowherd had all said in the past week that the Commanders were going to draft Daniels, we said, yes, the Commanders may draft Daniels, but those guys don’t actually know whom the Commanders are going to select.

We also declared that Adam Peters would certainly have Drake Maye visit the facility and perhaps J.J. McCarthy as well.

So, Wednesday brought the announcement that North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye will also visit Ashburn next week.

Indeed, Adam Peters, Dan Quinn, and owner Josh Harris have wisely not given any indication to anyone in the media who the Commanders will select with that No. 2 overall selection.

The possibility exists that the three may not only be acting wisely to not publicly declare their intentions. Seeing these three quarterbacks are also receiving such varied evaluations from the draft analysts, could it be that the Commanders trio of Peters, Quinn and Harris honestly, have not yet been able to be in unison regarding the selection?

Perhaps, being undecided, the Commanders are still continuing to do their necessary homework. If that is the case, could it be that this final visit/interview for each next week may be the determining factor in the end?

It’s a huge decision for Quinn and Peters. Just last year, the Panthers took Bryce Young, yet the guy selected next was C.J. Stroud, who had a much better rookie season.

With that in mind, the Commanders may want to conduct one more face-to-face interaction to observe how the young men refer to surprising questions or statements.

Ron Rivera chose Chase Young at No. 2 when quarterbacks Tua Tagovailoa and Justin Herbert were not chosen until the fifth and sixth selections. Rivera never recovered and never obtained the quarterback he needed, either.

 

LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels’ pro day a success with Commanders in attendance

A good day for Jayden Daniels with all of the NFL in attendance.

The much-anticipated weigh-in quickly history as he stepped on the scale, and it read 210 pounds.

Jayden Daniels, the LSU quarterback, raised concerns at the NFL Scouting Combine when he declined to weigh in, virtually assuring everyone interested that he did not actually weigh the 210 pounds the LSU roster had claimed during the season.

Being the only quarterback who did not weigh in at the Combine, no doubt there has been a concerted effort for Daniels to gain weight this offseason. His camp was most likely very pleased he was at least up to 210 by Wednesday’s LSU pro day.

Reports are his workout was very scripted, with very few three and five-step drop throws. Not to be negative, but one does wonder, if you know the pro game is going to be much more detailed, such as involving three and five-step drops, why not be working on those enough this offseason to display them in your pro day workout?

A real positive not to be overlooked was Daniels’ measurement at 6-foot-3 and one-half inch. No doubt interested teams were glad to see Daniels’ height, as seeing over the offensive and defensive lines is a tremendous help for an NFL quarterback.

Daniels threw many short, intermediate and some long passes, enough that he displayed enough arm strength and touch to please the interested teams. His throwing motion was smooth; nothing seemed forced in his motion. It was a good showing for Daniels. Here is every throw by Daniels from earlier today.

Interested NFL teams met with Daniels following his on-field workout, which lasted approximately 20 minutes. This serves as another opportunity for both parties to get to know each other a bit more during this NFL Draft process.

What teams attended the LSU workout? Early reports are those viewing along with the Commanders were the Giants, Patriots, Saints, Raiders, and the Bears.

Yes, the Chicago Bears. Might the Bears still be considering drafting Daniels?

Interested teams will travel immediately to the North Carolina pro day, which is scheduled for Thursday. The major focus for the Commanders, of course, will be quarterback Drake Maye.

There is no rest for the NFL weary this week.

Commanders’ brass to attend two QB pro days this week

Another big week for the Commanders and their search for a quarterback.

It’s a busy week for the Commanders’ Adam Peters and Dan Quinn.

Monday and Tuesday were the NFL Owners’ meetings in Orlando. Wednesday will be the pro day of potential Commanders selection LSU’s Jayden Daniels. If that is not enough, then the North Carolina pro day is scheduled for Thursday.

Last week the Commanders had some attend the USC Caleb Williams’ pro day workout, followed by the Michigan (J.J. McCarthy) pro day as well.

A major question leading up to the Jayden Daniels workout on Wednesday will be just how much he weighs after all. At the Scouting Combine, Daniels was the only quarterback to not weigh in.

The LSU roster for the 2023 football season had listed his weight at 210 pounds. However, Daniels chose to not weigh in at the Combine. The other top quarterbacks weighed in accordingly: Caleb Williams (214), Drake Maye (223), J.J. McCarthy (219), Michael Penix (216), and Bo Nix (214).

Consequently, flags were raised as interested teams naturally began to wonder, just how much did LSU exaggerate Daniels’ weight on the season’s roster? For had Daniels actually weighed 210 at the Combine, there would have been no big deal with all the other top quarterbacks weighing in at 214 to 223.

Drake Maye will be the object of the Commanders’ attention later in the week. Maye is less experienced than the other top prospects, which is one reason many have speculated he may have a higher ceiling than currently realized.

Meanwhile, Tuesday in Orlando, Commanders General Manager Adam Peters addressed the Commanders quarterback spot briefly, expressing, “We have 2 QBs on the roster right now with Jake (Fromm) and Marcus (Mariota) and we want to go to camp with 4, so we’re going to add 2 one way or the other.”

Report: Commanders and Patriots are ‘apprehensive to trade down’

A new report suggests the Commanders and Patriots are reluctant to move down.

The NFL owners meetings are taking place this week.

There is discussion and voting regarding rule changes, and the media, of course, is finding ways to still talk about the draft ad nauseam until the day it arrives, Thursday, April 25.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter Monday recalled, “At the meeting last year, lots of talk on Aaron Rodgers and Lamar Jackson. This year, it will be the teams trying to come up to Washington’s spot at 2 and New England’s spot at 3 in the draft. Though, both teams are apprehensive to give up those picks.”

The thinking behind such a comment is that both the Commanders and the Patriots are in such dire need of a starting quarterback that they will be more inclined to not want to move back in the draft, choosing to stay put at No. 2 and 3 and therefore selecting their new respective quarterbacks.

Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy had his pro day last week and impressed, making a good enough showing that he is being projected even higher up the draft board by increasing numbers of analysts.

He is a good enough athlete that he has entered the second tier of Drake Maye, Jayden Daniels, and now McCarthy. McCarthy had initially been graded much lower due to the fact that the Michigan offense was a run-dominated offense.

Commanders head coach Dan Quinn recently referred to Daniels simply as a “game changer.” The signing of Marcus Mariota, also led to many instantly responding it meant the team was going to draft Daniels. But this conveniently ignores the Commanders actually first pursued Sam Darnold prior to Mariota.

All three of the second-tier quarterbacks have much growing to do in their NFL careers. Yet, they have displayed enough talent and mobility that they are considered to be high first-round selections.

If you are the Patriots or Commanders, you don’t want to get too cute here and trade down too far, not obtaining a quality quarterback in the draft.

Thus, the teams might indeed be increasingly apprehensive to trade down, just as Schefter expressed on Monday.

We still have another month of this…