NFC East Check: Commanders Rookie QB Draws Interesting Comparisons

QB Jayden Daniels is already being compared to some of the league's top dual-threat quarterbacks.

Jun 5, 2024; Ashburn, VA, USA; Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) stands on the field during OTA workouts at Commanders Park. / Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

The Washington Commanders, whom the New York Giants have had the upper hand over for the last few years, are hoping to change their luck starting this season behind the arm of their new franchise quarterback Jayden Daniels. 

Daniels turned heads with his stellar play last year at LSU. He threw for 3,812 yards and a whopping 40 touchdowns while also adding 1,134 yards and 10 scores on the ground. Daniels' stellar campaign earned him the Heisman trophy.

But there are some concerns about his game as well as his frame, according to a new ranking video posted on Bleacher Report which put Daniels at No. 28. Daniels stands at 6-4 and 210 pounds, but appears very skinny. He also tends to take more hits in the pocket than he should and will have to learn when to go down in the NFL.  

Jayden Daniels taking comically huge hits, a thread: pic.twitter.com/RHMPKLQ94w

— NFL Draft Files (@NFL_DF) February 23, 2024

In the video, the host notes, “I also worry about, more importantly, that he is a pocket or scrambler. He is not an extender of plays. And typically is not what we see from (Patrick) Mahomes, (Josh) Allen, (Joe) Burrow, the top quarterbacks that will be on this list. He doesn’t have that trait to be able to create outside of structure that often. He’s rather gonna throw or run.”

It seems here that there is concern about Daniels' ability to think outside of the box when a play breaks down. If he's forced out of the pocket, is he able to still look downfield and find an open receiver? Or will he look to run every single time? The comparisons he drew next are interesting.

“And that’s a little bit on the low end of the spectrum, Justin Fields-ish, and that’s on the high end of the spectrum, Jalen Hurts,” the video concludes.

Fields hasn't shown much in terms of being a passer. He wasn't in the greatest of circumstances in Chicago, with the team failing to put pieces around him other than DJ Moore. 

However, Fields simply couldn't process the field as well as other quarterbacks in the league. There were numerous occasions last season, and in his career in general, where he'd miss wide open reads and opted to tuck and run. There's potential with Fields, but there's a reason why the Bears traded him and drafted Caleb Williams at No.1.

As for Hurts, he's shown to be a solid dual-threat quarterback. He was decent in his first year as a starter in 2021, but then blossomed into a better passer once the Eagles traded for AJ Brown ahead of the 2022 season. 

Hurts' completion percentage went from 61.3% in 2021 to over 65% in each of the next two seasons. Hurts has also been able to rush for over 600 yards and at least 10 touchdowns in each season since 2021, cementing himself as one of the league's best running quarterbacks.

Daniels obviously has a lot to prove before he can be put in the class of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the league, he hasn't even taken a single snap yet. However, as the No.2 overall pick, Daniels will need to produce early if he wants to silence critics.

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