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Jayden Daniels Predicted to Rival 2-Time NFL MVP QB at Career Pinnacle

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Max Dible | Last updated Jun 27, 2025 12:20 AM ET

The Washington Commanders believed they had found a special quarterback in rookie Jayden Daniels with the No. 2 pick in the 2024 NFL draft.

By the time their season ended in the NFC Championship game, just one win shy of the Super Bowl, their beliefs had been confirmed several times over.

There is sometimes a sophomore slump -- or the lesser sophomore step back -- for second-year players in the league, as good coaches and players get more film on them and adjust.

That phenomenon may impact Daniels or it may not, but in either case, the dual-threat signal-caller is going to be judged based on the entirety of his career -- not just how great his rookie campaign was, or how good or bad his encore performance is or isn't.

Based on the advanced analytics, however, there is but a small chance that Daniels won't continue his stellar play along a career arc to greatness.

That is based on an assessment from John Kosko of Pro Football Focus, who asserted on Thursday, June 25, that Daniels' floor will see him become Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (a two-time Pro Bowler six years into his NFL career), while Daniels' ceiling is comparable to that of two-time league MVP Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens.

"Daniels engineered arguably the best rookie season of all time. His 91.3 PFF overall grade ranks second among all rookie passers in the PFF era (since 2006), and he led his team to the brink of a Super Bowl appearance," Kosko wrote. "Daniels’ ability to consistently generate positive plays is an aspect of Lamar Jackson’s game that makes him incredibly difficult to defend. Factor in the elite athleticism that both bring to the table, and the idea of Daniels as a future MVP is not out of the question."

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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