With the Chicago Bears presumably snagging their quarterback of the future Caleb Williams with the first pick in the 2024 NFL Draft later this month, the Washington Commanders are left with a huge decision to make. Also needing a quarterback, the Commanders will take their pick out of a group including Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye, JJ McCarthy, Michael Penix Jr. and more at No. 2 overall.
Daniels is reportedly now set to visit the Commanders with their first-year head coach Dan Quinn next week. He’ll use one of the team’s 30 prospect visits on Monday, his agent shared with NFL insider Adam Schefter.
A report surfaced on Tuesday that the 2023 Heisman Trophy winner would prefer to go to the New England Patriots, who have the No. 3 overall pick, after prior meetings with the Commanders “didn’t go as smoothly,” according to reporter Evan Silva. Silva cited “rumors” for the claim. The primary source spoke out about that errant report, however, via social media.
Daniels tweeted on Tuesday night, “Looking forward to my upcoming visits. Glad to be home,” in direct response to Silva’s report. The former LSU star is fresh off of his top-30 visit with the Patriots. They also hosted quarterback Drake Maye in the last week. Like the Commanders, the Patriots also have a first-year head coach for the 2024 season – Jerod Mayo.
Daniels projected to go No. 2 or No. 3 overall
Jayden Daniels won the Heisman Trophy this past season over the other finalists because of what he did with both his arm and his legs. The 23-year-old threw for 3,812 yards and 40 touchdowns. He also ran for 1,134 yards and 10 touchdowns.
LSU head coach Brian Kelly hinted that he believes Daniels will be selected by the Washington Commanders.
“He’s going to be so committed to taking care of himself,” Kelly said about Daniels. “You don’t have to worry about size or he doesn’t weigh enough. Lamar [Jackson] has done a pretty good job with his size. I think [Patrick] Mahomes I wouldn’t consider him a giant. He’s gonna get the ball out to the playmakers and make plays for Washington.”
Though he’s happy to go at any point, Daniels believes he should be the No. 1 pick.
“I mean, there’s a lot of great choices with the other quarterbacks, Caleb [Williams], Drake Maye, even JJ [McCarthy],” Daniels said during his Pro Day via SEC Network. “But I’d say, for me, it’s just how dynamic I am as a football player — not just as a quarterback, but as a football player. Explosive plays, that’s a big thing in the game of football, explosive plays will win. So the tape speaks for itself.”
On3’s Griffin McVeigh contributed to this report.
More must-reads: