Jayden Daniels Hyped By Commanders Teammates After 1st Rookie Practice: 'He's a Stud'

It didn't take long for Washington Commanders rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels to win over his new teammates.

After his first rookie minicamp practice, the 2024 No. 2 pick earned massive praise from his peers.

"He's a stud," third-round receiver Luke McCaffrey said, per ESPN's John Keim. "I know he's one heck of a quarterback and a lot of fun to play with from a personality standpoint. I've had a blast in these 24 hours with him. ... He's just fun to be around; he's good energy."

It was noted that Daniels didn't have any "wow" moments during the one-hour workout, but he did enough to make it clear that the Commanders' future is in good hands.

"He has the 'it' factor," second-round tight end Ben Sinnott said.

Washington has been searching for its long-term quarterback for quite some time. Keim noted that no signal-caller has started for more than three straight seasons since Mark Rypien did so from 1989 to 1993.

Daniels earned the Heisman Trophy after a stellar 2023 season at LSU in which he threw for 3,812 yards, 40 touchdowns and four interceptions while rushing for 1,134 yards and 10 more scores. His dual-threat ability gives him the chance to excel in a Commanders offense led by new offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury.

"He's a super talented kid, a great dude I really like to be around and hopefully grow with," Sinnott said. "There are just guys who players naturally get attracted to and revolve around and he's got that personality where you want to work with him and want to watch film with him and you want to be out here working with him."

Daniels said he's using the rookie minicamp to get himself prepared to lead the team by the time he starts working with the veterans during OTAs.

"Just being myself, being a hard worker," he said. "Don't try to be somebody I'm not. People see who's authentic and who's not. Try to make connections, talk to people. Obviously I'm 23, it's a lot of different age ranges in this locker room, so try to relate as much as possible, show them I'm all about the team, I'm all about hard work."

Commanders head coach Dan Quinn has yet to name Daniels the starting quarterback for the 2024 season, so he added that he's focused on learning the playbook so he can earn the job.

"Just going through the lumps of being a rookie and trying to learn how to be a pro," Daniels said. "I don't have a definitive answer for you what I needed to work on. I'm just trying to learn as much as possible."