Jayden Daniels has officially added some haters thanks to his latest NFL achievement and it's pretty silly
If you've watched Jayden Daniels this year, then you know just how special he is.The kid has one of the brightest futures in the NFL and he looks to have all the tools necessary to keep the Washington Commanders winning at a high level. Because of this, he earned a first-ballot Pro Bowl nod on […]
If you've watched Jayden Daniels this year, then you know just how special he is.
The kid has one of the brightest futures in the NFL and he looks to have all the tools necessary to keep the Washington Commanders winning at a high level. Because of this, he earned a first-ballot Pro Bowl nod on Thursday.
And it's got a lot of people, especially in a certain fanbase, riled up.
A lot of people within the Tampa Bay Buccaneers community, as well as on the outside, believe Baker Mayfield was snubbed in favor of Daniels. And it's not just a simple snub – many believe it's disrespectful to what Mayfield has done in 2024.
Look, one can make an argument in favor of either quarterback, as both have had sensational seasons. But to sit there and act like it's an egregious snub or something along those lines is wildly inaccurate. Not only does the tape back it up, but the advanced metrics, and not raw stats, paint a picture that leans into Daniels' favor, as well.
Per Next Gen Stats, Jayden Daniels has better marks in EPA/game (+6.3), EPA/dropback (+0.15), the same CPOE (+1.5) and a lower turnover-worthy throw rate (1.8%) than Baker Mayfield at 4.6/0.12/3.8%. He's pulled this off with a higher air yards per throw rate at 7.6 to 6.7, as well.
He also has a much higher QBR at 72.4 to 59.4 and he's had just 28 fewer dropbacks (about 2 less per game). All on top of doing it with far less talent at just about every position on offense than what the Bucs have. And, don't forget about his 864 rushing yards and 6 rushing TDs, either.
Yes, Baker has a better success rate at 54.2% to Daniels' 47.7% and he has 14 more passing touchdowns, but those are the only two areas in which Mayfield really surpasses Daniels. To trim the argument down to just those two components is silly and constitutes as cherry-picking. If we want to use basic, raw stats, then what about Daniels' 11 wins to Baker's 9 as a starting QB in 2024? Or what about Mayfield's 15 interceptions to Daniels' nine?
Again, you can argue in favor of either guy. No one will be "wrong" in that instance. But to act like Daniels is completely undeserving when compared to Baker is wrong and only comes off as someone drinking the Hater-ade during the debate.
