Easy. Simple. Smooth.
If those words apply to your NFL quarterback, you have a good one.
It’s only been five games, but those descriptive words certainly apply to Washington Commanders rookie Jayden Daniels. Some young quarterbacks make it look laborious to play the position, but he makes it seem effortless at times — even when he’s being chased and hit.
As the second player taken in last year’s NFL Draft, he has quickly showed to be a quick study on playing the most important position in sports, so much so that he’s actually being mentioned as a potential MVP candidate.
The Commanders have won four consecutive games to get to 4-1 and lead the NFC East. In doing so, they are the highest-scoring team in the league at 31.0 points per game. Daniels has 1,135 passing yards, four touchdown passes, two picks and a passer rating of 106.3. He has also rushed for 300 yards and four touchdowns. He is the first player in NFL history to pass for at least 1,000 yards and rush for at least 250 in his first five career games.
Daniels has the Commanders up to sixth in my Power Rankings this week as they head to a monster Beltway Battle with the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday. We will find out a lot about the rookie quarterback and this team when they play the Ravens.
I had Daniels ranked as my top quarterback in the 2024 draft — you can look it up — and the reason was simple: He was a pure passer who could move. The doubters wondered if he would be physical enough, but he has already disproved that notion with his ability to stand in and make throws staring down the rush.
Daniels played at Arizona State, which is my alma mater, for two years. He flashed, but he was inconsistent. When he transferred to LSU, he improved greatly, so much so that I said leading into the draft that he was the most-improved player I’ve ever seen in the draft process. The NFL people I trust told me he was a fiend when it…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/nfl-week-6-power-rankings-commanders-are-for-real-with-jayden-daniels-cowboys-falcons-enter-top-10/
Author : Pete Prisco
Publish date : 2024-10-08 09:01:51
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