Jayden Daniels' key to success is so simple yet it's almost impossible to quantify until it's too late
Jayden Daniels didn't just make NFL history, but he also reset the standards and expectations that come with rookie quarterbacks.From now until the foreseeable future, the question heading into NFL Drafts down the road will be, "Who's going to be the next Jayden Daniels in this class?".And rightfully so. What team wouldn't want to experience […]
Jayden Daniels didn't just make NFL history, but he also reset the standards and expectations that come with rookie quarterbacks.
From now until the foreseeable future, the question heading into NFL Drafts down the road will be, "Who's going to be the next Jayden Daniels in this class?".
And rightfully so. What team wouldn't want to experience what the Washington Commanders went through in 2024? It was a magical season that has the franchise and fanbase in a spot it hasn't been in for over three decades. The future is as bright as ever and people are absolutely stoked for what's in store.
As we all know though, finding a guy like Daniels isn't easy and seasons like his rarely come around. Still, when it comes to drafting a guy like him, it's important to know the catalyst of his success, because knowing that could help a team identify who they want at the top of the draft in terms of a signal-caller.
"I don't think anybody could be, respectfully, like the next me. I think everybody's unique in their own way. I'd say the main thing for football players in general, like, is, how much do they love the game?" Daniels told Kevin Clark during the latest episode of This Is Football. "Are they very passionate about the game, stuff like that. I love football. I mean, I'm watching it when I'm not playing it, I'm watching film. I actually love football. So I say that's like the main thing – the passion of the game."
It makes sense. If you don't love what you do then you're not going to put the time and effort into it in order to maximize success. We all heard the stories about how Brian Kelly had to eventually open up LSU's facilities at pretty much a 24/7 rate because Daniels would get there before sun-up and his work ethic eventually spread to his teammates, who started doing the same thing.
Daniels' work ethic was at the top of his trait list and it's obvious it played a big role in his success. That, and doing innovative things like VR training are just the tip of the iceberg.
So, the love of the game is a simple tool to have for success. The only problem is teams don't know how much a player truly loves the game until it's too late. By the time they figure out a guy isn't into it like he should be, said guy has already been drafted or signed to a contract.
"I think you can tell by the history of football, or, like, different things I don't know," Daniels said when asked how he identifies players that love the game the way he does. "I just did a quiz of, like, trying to guess what the quarterback was just based off the moments. And I won 100% because I watched football, so I knew all the guys that they brought up."
Well, there we go. Instead of the Wonderlic, teams should quiz players based off the history of the game. Maybe then they'll be able to more accurately quantify that trait.
All jokes aside, Daniels is a one-of-a-kind player and frankly, the more teams try to "force" a comparison between him and another prospect, the more likely said teams are going to misevaluate the guy in front of them. Each prospect, like Daniels mentioned earlier, has his own unique traits and those are what teams need to look into, not comparisons.
"Just be you. That's enough at the end of the day – to be you," said Daniels. "You know, I was here for a reason."
