Commanders' Terry McLaurin expands on praise of rookie Jayden Daniels

Terry McLaurin was among noteworthy Washington Commanders players who spoke highly of rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels throughout springtime workouts.

McLaurin expanded on such comments during a chat with ESPN personality Scott Van Pelt for a Thursday "SportsCenter" appearance. Specifically, McLaurin mentioned the poise Daniels possessed on his first day inside the team's facility.

"By the time the rookies got there," McLaurin explained, "we pretty much had four or five installs in. And I think [Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury] did a great job of trying to integrate everybody at the same time. So when the rookies got there, we started from ground one. But it seemed like [Daniels] knew the entire offense when we got there."

Washington grabbed Daniels with the second pick of the 2024 NFL Draft after the Chicago Bears made USC Trojans signal-caller Caleb Williams the first overall choice and after some suggested ahead of the player-selection process that Daniels "loves football more" than Williams as it pertains to having the work ethic needed to succeed as a QB1 at the highest level. 

McLaurin noted how prepared Daniels was to take first-team snaps from organized team activities through mandatory minicamp.

"He's in there calling the huddles through the walkthroughs," McLaurin said about Daniels. "He's in there calling the plays, and he's extremely confident. And it's a testament to his preparation and his studying that he did on his own. But also, I just think the kid loves ball and he has a good feel for the game."

Analysts and insiders shared as recently as earlier this week that Daniels is far from a finished product, which is why he hasn't yet won the right to start the club's regular-season opener at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers over veteran Marcus Mariota. It sounds like McLaurin wants head coach Dan Quinn to hand Daniels the keys to Washington's offense sooner rather than later.

"I think he really came in with the right mindset and energy, and guys are already gravitating to him," McLaurin added about Daniels.

As of Friday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook listed Daniels (+550 odds) second behind Williams (+135) among the betting favorites to claim the Offensive Rookie of the Year Award for the 2024 season. 

While much can change between now and the final weekend of preseason action, both Daniels and Williams seem on track to be Week 1 starters come September.