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Jayden Daniels’ strong admission on Lamar Jackson comparisons

Originally posted on NFL on ClutchPoints
By Mike Gianakos | Last updated Oct 9, 2024 4:49 PM ET

Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels is off to an exceptional start in the NFL. The rookie passer is seemingly setting a new league record every week; He has the top selling jersey on Fanatics; And some commentators believe he has a shot to win MVP in his first season.

Daniels has been compared to reigning MVP Lamar Jackson since the Commanders selected him second overall in the 2024 draft out of LSU. But if you ask the young signal caller, he’s not so keen on the comp. “At the end of the day I want to be known as Jayden Daniels and not the next such and such,” Daniels said via ESPN’s John Keim on X.

The Jackson comparison comes from Daniels’ incredible ability as a runner, which calls to mind the Baltimore Ravens quarterback. During the Commanders’ Week 5 matchup against the Cleveland Browns, Daniels reached 289 rushing yards on the season, which set the record for the most yardage on the ground ever in a quarterback’s first five games.

The 23-year-old QB has 300 rushing yards on 57 attempts through five games. He’s also gone 101/131 for 1,135 passing yards so far this year, making him the first quarterback with 1,000+ yards passing and 250+ yards rushing through their first five games.

The Commanders’ Jayden Daniels has taken the league by storm

Oct 6, 2024; Landover, Maryland, USA; Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) runs with the ball past Cleveland Browns defensive end Za'Darius Smith (99) during the second quarter at NorthWest Stadium. Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

In Jackson’s first full season as a starter he finished with 3,127 passing yards and a career-high 1,206 rushing yards. Oh, and he won his first MVP award. Daniels is currently on pace to throw for 3,859 yards and run for 1,020 yards assuming he plays all 17 games this season. One area that seems to separate the two dynamic quarterbacks is completion percentage. Jackson completed 66.1 percent of his throws in his MVP-winning sophomore season while Daniels has completed an incredible 77.1 percent of his passes through five games with the Commanders.

After his first four games, Daniels broke another NFL record with the highest completion percentage ever in that time span. The rookie completed 82.1 percent of his passes through four weeks, surpassing Tom Brady’s mark of 79.2 percent set in 2007.

Both Daniels and the Commanders have impressed this year with incredible stats through the first month of the season. Led by new head coach Dan Quinn, Washington is off to a hot start. After pummeling the Browns in Week 5, the Commanders have four straight wins and a record of 4-1, good for first place in the NFC East.

The Commanders travel to Baltimore to take on the Ravens in Week 6, where Daniels will match up against Jackson for the first time. The Ravens are 3-2 and tied for first place in the AFC North.

This article first appeared on NFL on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.

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