Commanders Minicamp: Jayden Daniels isn't taking the bait that comes with being a top draft pick
Washington Commanders rookie Jayden Daniels may be a former Heisman Trophy winner and the No. 2 overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, but he certainly doesn't carry himself like someone with those accolades would.That isn't to say he's shy, introverted, or lacks confidence. It's quite the opposite, actually. Confidence drips off the dude when […]
Washington Commanders rookie Jayden Daniels may be a former Heisman Trophy winner and the No. 2 overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, but he certainly doesn't carry himself like someone with those accolades would.
That isn't to say he's shy, introverted, or lacks confidence. It's quite the opposite, actually. Confidence drips off the dude when he's in-between the sidelines and it's easy to see. Ultimately, the guy stays humble and keeps his feet on the ground, and it's a big reason why he's gotten to where he is, today.
"He's just cool with everybody," Pro Bowl wideout Terry McLaurin told reporters Wednesday. "And, like I said, like for a rookie quarterback to come in like that, where guys are gravitating to him, and he's not afraid to be who he is, that's dope. I think he has a bright future for himself."
Daniels has been practicing with the 1s during minicamp, but the team still hasn't officially named the starter, which is fine. This isn't like the Chicago Bears' situation, where the guy backing up Caleb Williams is a former undrafted free agent like Tyson Bagent. Say what you want about Marcus Mariota, but the guy is certainly an option that can push Daniels until the youngster finds his footing enough to be an effective starter.
Plus, there's still plenty of time to figure all that out. Daniels knows that, along with the fact that he still has plenty of work to do, himself. He's not making himself out to be anything he's not. Especially when he's not even been named the starter, yet.
"I would just say, as you rep more things, obviously, you start getting a grasp of the playbook, but I still got a long way to go to still be where I want to be," Daniels said when asked where he's made the biggest jump since rookie minicamp. "[I'm] trying to perfect it [and] trying to be a perfectionist as much as possible…
"… I ain't a star quarterback, yet, I got a long way to go. I'm a rookie, to answer that."
We already know Daniels has the talent and work ethic to get where he wants to go, it's just a matter of "when", instead of "if" for the former LSU Tiger and Arizona State Wildcat.
And he's not stopping the climb during the upcoming six week break that the entire NFL will get to enjoy.
"I mean, I've been in football mode, man," said Daniels. "OTAs, rookie minicamp, [and] now, mandatory minicamp. All I know is I'm gonna go back to Southern California, go train with my quarterback coach down in Huntington Beach and get ready for the season and get ready for training camp. Put myself in the best position out there to come out here and just compete with the guys and have fun."
The Commanders still have one more day of mandatory camp, so Daniels has another round of practice to keep improving. If the opening of training camp wasn't exciting enough for its own reasons, waiting to see what Daniels has in store for everyone only makes it that much more enticing.
