Schrager: 'Sounds Like' Jayden Daniels to Commanders 'A Lot More Likely' amid Rumors

Fox Sports reporter Peter Schrager believes the Washington Commanders will use the No. 2 pick of Thursday's draft to select former LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels.

"I think on Friday afternoon, I would have had a different conversation with you, to be honest... I think the last few days things have settled a bit," Schrager said Tuesday on the Pat McAfee Show. "And I don't know if there's been conversations with Dan Quinn, or with Kliff Kingsbury, but from all the intel that I'm gathering, it sounds like Daniels [No. 2] to the Commanders is a lot more likely now than it might have been on Friday.

"If I'm going to put my name on something now, I think Jayden Daniels is going to go [No. 2] to Washington. And then they still have five picks in the top 100, they can surround him with more."

With the Chicago Bears anticipated to draft USC's Caleb Williams with the No. 1 pick, the Commanders are expected to choose between Daniels and North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye with the hope of drafting the team's next franchise quarterback.

In addition to the No. 2 pick, the Commanders hold two selections in the second round (Nos. 36 and 40) as well as three selections in the third round, two in the fifth and one in the seventh.

Schrager's analysis was corroborated by a Tuesday report from Yahoo Sports' Charles Robinson.

"Barring some final input of Commanders owner Josh Harris that could change things (and he has been very involved along the way), there is a solid belief across the league that Daniels has come into hard focus at No. 2 overall," Robinson wrote Monday.

Schrager additionally addressed rumors that Daniels is hoping to be drafted by a team other than the Commanders by pointing to a Friday statement from the player's agent, which stated Daniels will be happy to join the NFL "wherever he is drafted."

The insiders' consensus marks a change from last week when draft analysts were generally split on who the Commanders would decide to take with the No. 2 pick.

As Robinson noted, Harris' involvement still could change the direction of the Commanders' decision.

ESPN's Adam Schefter wrote in February that Harris had participated in all of the team's interviews with the top quarterbacks at the NFL combine, a rarity during an event that owners do not usually attend.

NBC Sports' Mike Florio added Friday that "Harris has been more involved than people expected him to be" with the management of the team.

Harris' involvement could potentially lead to surprises Thursday. As of now, however, it sounds like NFL insiders are trending towards predicting Daniels as a future Washington Commander.