LSU's Jayden Daniels: 'Favorite Fit' For Washington Commanders?

The Washington Commanders hold the No. 2 overall pick, and ESPN thinks that LSU's Jayden Daniels is a "favorite fit" for Kliff Kingsbury's offense.

Quarterback Jayden Daniels 5 hands off to runningback Noah Cain 21 as the LSU Tigers take on Georgia / SCOTT CLAUSE/USA TODAY Network / USA

The new era for the Washington Commanders under new owner Josh Harris, head coach Dan Quinn and general manager Adam Peters has gotten off to a solid start.

As expected, Washington was a big player in free agency due to its cap space, with no less than 12 new players walking through the doors. While key additions were made on both sides of the ball for Quinn's team, there is still one final piece of the puzzle that has yet to be placed.

With the Commanders holding the coveted No. 2 overall pick, the consensus is that a quarterback will be taken. Several mocks have seen different options with Jayden Daniels, J.J. McCarthy and Drake Maye all heading to the Nation's capital.

For ESPN, their favorite fit for Washington among the top 20 draft prospects is the 2023 Heisman trophy winner in Daniels.

"New Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury could get the best out of Daniels, who can be schemed as a true dual-threat player, maximizing his throwing traits and dynamic movement ability," ESPN writes. "Using a mix of 11 and 12 personnel with elements from Kingsbury's spread background, Daniels can be put in a position to showcase his field vision, where he can deliver the ball with anticipation and accuracy from the pocket. Daniels is a smart decision-maker and efficient passer, as he threw 40 touchdown passes with only four interceptions last season.

"The rookie can also work off RPOs and be used on designed rushes, where he has electric agility. Daniels ran for 527 yards and nine touchdowns on 58 designed carries in 2023, an average of 9.1 yards per rush."

Having Daniels as the final piece in their offseason puzzle, the Commanders would no doubt be happy with their work.

Getting the dual-threat ability of Daniels on Kingsbury's offense could pay immediate dividends. With outside weapons, Terry McLaurin, Jahan Dotson and tight ends Zach Ertz and Logan Thomas, coupled with running backs Brian Robinson Jr. and Austin Ekeler, both of whom are reliable pass-catching options, Daniels has the weapons to succeed.

Quarterback Jayden Daniels 5 as the LSU Tigers take on Texas A&M in Tiger Stadium in Baton / SCOTT CLAUSE/USA TODAY Network / USA

While the offensive line needs could also be addressed in the second round of the draft, as they gave up 65 sacks last season (second most), Daniels as the centerpiece is an exciting thought for Washington fans longing for a franchise quarterback to get behind.

Kingsbury has experience working with dual-threat quarterbacks. During his time in Arizona, Kliff and Kyler Murray formed a good duo as Murray was a two-time Pro Bowler and Offensive Player of the Year winner.

Perhaps that same dynamic can be replicated with Daniels and Kingsbury. Given the weapons and experience that will be at Daniels' disposal, the Commanders can feel good about what the 2024 season could look like.

While obviously, there will be ups and downs, but with a young quarterback who has weapons to work with, the possibilities are exciting.

Other quarterbacks could be deemed "better" fits for Washington, but in Daniels, who could thrive in an offensive system like Kingsbury's, it is no wonder that the LSU star could be seen as a favorite fit for the NFC East franchise.