Commanders' Jayden Daniels buzz is real (and it’s only getting louder)

The jury was out on Jayden Daniels when he was first selected by the Washington Commanders at No. 2 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft. That's not the case anymore.

On the one hand, he was a dynamic dual-threat presence with immense athletic gifts who dominated at the college level. On the other hand, Daniels was considered too reckless, skinny, and old to have much long-term upside.

Suffice it to say, the Year 1 returns exceeded even the highest expectations that Washington or anybody else could have had. Daniels took the Commanders from four wins in 2023 to a record of 12-5, winning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors. He led the franchise to its first two playoff wins in nearly 20 years to reach the NFC Championship game.

Just how historic was Daniels' rookie year? One former NFL wide receiver-turned-analyst believes he is already the cream of the crop in his conference.

Andrew Hawkins claims Commanders have the best quarterback in the NFC

On Thursday, the ex-Cincinnati Bengal and Cleveland Brown joined ESPN's "Get Up" to discuss several subjects, including Daniels. He was given a true-or-false prompt about whether the Commanders' signal-caller is the best quarterback in the NFC, and he answered true.

He then elaborated by pointing out that no one thought Washington's situation was an ideal one for a rookie passer, and the Heisman Trophy winner immediately flipped the script. It's this often-overlooked detail that makes Daniels' rookie season all the more special. It's also why Hawkins and Commanders fans have an extremely convincing argument.

Daniels' primary competition for this honor would be Jalen Hurts. He has been to two Super Bowls and won one, but the Philadelphia Eagles' roster is significantly better than Washington's. Most importantly, he has the best offensive line in the NFL, and a dominant ground game led by Saquon Barkley to take the pressure off.

Give Daniels those same privileges, and he could just as easily have that success.

Meanwhile, the rest of the conference isn't exactly a stacked deck at the quarterback position — Jared Goff, Dak Prescott, and Brock Purdy are likely the best of the rest. But for the most part, all of the NFL's elite passers reside in the AFC.

Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, and Joe Burrow are the four most established players at their position right now, and they all compete in the same conference. The NFC has a much more questionable quarterback hierarchy, and there's a great case that Daniels is already the class of the field.

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