By STEPHEN WHYNO (AP Sports Writer)
ASHBURN, Va. (AP) — Jayden Daniels was uncertain if the Washington Commanders would pick him, after months of uncertainty about which quarterback they wanted. He's happy they did.
Washington picked Daniels with the second in the NFL draft on Thursday night, selecting the Heisman Trophy recipient from LSU over North Carolina’s Drake Maye, Washington’s Michael Penix Jr., and Michigan national champion J.J. McCarthy. Unlike Chicago leading off with Caleb Williams as expected, the Commanders kept everyone, including the AP’s college football player of the year, in suspense until the last moment.
“They did a pretty good job of not showing their hand too much,” Daniels said. “But I was pretty confident based off the conversations that we had that I was able to come here and fit into the Commanders team. I’m here now. I can’t wait to get to work.”
For a while, Daniels had been the favorite to go to the Commanders, though uncertainty arose over the past week after reports emerged that he and his agent were not happy with the team hosting four QB prospects at once. Daniels, May, McCarthy, and Penix all visited the practice facility and area together, including a group trip to Topgolf.
“Everyone had a great time and it was very beneficial to see everyone in a more relaxed environment,” general manager Adam Peters said last week. “They all got a lot of time individually with their coaches, with us, where they were staggered coming in, too, so it wasn’t like they were sitting in a room together. They all had their own individual time with everybody, so, it worked out really well.”
Sufficiently enough to resolve any issues and make Daniels the centerpiece of the Commanders’ rebuilding process and roster overhaul under Peters and an ownership group led by Josh Harris that has been in charge since August.
“Selecting a winner like Jayden Daniels will energize the players and our fan base!” co-owner Magic Johnson posted on social media.
Other than Williams, a Washington-area native who would have been a straightforward choice if the Bears passed on him for some reason, Daniels became the pick after leading the nation in total offense last season with 4,946 yards — 412.2 on average over 12 games. The 6-foot-4, 210-pound QB ranked fifth with 3,812 yards passing and with 40 touchdowns trailed just Oregon’s Bo Nix, who played in two extra games. He also ran for 10 more.
Daniels, 23, developed into a star over two seasons at LSU after moving in 2022 following three years at Arizona State. He became an increasingly decisive pocket passer as his trust in receivers Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr. grew, and he became more adept at buying time by scrambling rather than giving up on plays and taking off running.
Nabers went three picks later to the NFC East-rival New York Giants at No. 5.
It’s unclear if Daniels will play right away, get the chance to compete for the starting job, or sit and learn behind veteran Marcus Mariota, who is willing to be a mentor after agreeing to a one-year contract in free agency. Whether it’s Daniels, Mariota or journeyman Jeff Driskel, Washington will have an eighth different Week 1 starting QB in as many seasons after trading Sam Howell to Seattle last month.
“I’m just coming in to compete,” Daniels said. “I’m going to come in and really just trying to play my role, whatever that is. I just want to be the best teammate to help the team win, and we can bring some victories back to Washington.”
Selected second by Washington 12 years after the organization selected Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III from Baylor in the same position, the San Bernardino, California, native becomes the face of the Commanders under coach Dan Quinn and offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury.
Daniels mentioned Kingsbury’s work with Kyler Murray while coaching the Arizona Cardinals as one reason he is excited to play for him.
“The offensive staff, their track record speaks for itself,” Daniels said. “Kliff was over there with Kyler and what he did as a head coach, and for quite some time he had Kyler in the MVP conversation.”
After addressing their most important need with their first selection, the Commanders have eight more in this draft, including five Friday night (Nos. 36 and 40 in the second round, and Nos. 67, 78 and 100 in the third). Peters did not rule out packaging some of those picks to trade back into the first round, a move that could fill a major void at left tackle or elsewhere.
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