When Jayden Daniels declared for the 2024 NFL Draft, he was coming off a Heisman Trophy-winning season, having racked up nearly 5,000 yards of offense and 50 TDs. The Washington Commanders promptly used the No. 2 pick on him, and he rewarded them with an all-time rookie campaign. But there were more than a few skeptics who were far less than enthused with the selection.
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They say that hindsight is 20/20, but it feels like regular sight should have caught some of these awfully hot takes before they were sent out into the World Wide Web. Reddit is especially a breeding ground for such hot takes. Now that Daniels’ Cinderella run is over, it’s time to look back at some of the worst ones and have a good chuckle.
One Redditor, “fiddynet” was just happy the draft was over with, calling Daniels a worse version of RG3. “The only good outcome of this is that it’s over. Jayden is like a less exciting RG3,” they wrote.
When you look at their final years of college, Daniels and Robert Griffin III were actually pretty similar. They both won the Heisman and every other award under the sun, and they both put up about 5,000 yards and 50 TDs. However, Daniels’ advantage in terms of running the football was all too clear: RG3 averaged just 3.9 yards a carry as a senior, while Daniels led the FBS with 8.4.
That comparison at least had its merits, but some of the other Daniels takes are so cringe-worthy that it’s hard to even reproduce them for you here. But of course, we will, because who doesn’t love reading keyboard analysts get something as wrong as they did this Daniels pick?
Funnily enough, “Reddit scouts” are known for their awful takes, so the negativity around Daniels on the site actually gave a few Commanders fans more confidence that Daniels would work out.
Many, however, thought Drake Maye should be the pick. And while the New England Patriots signal-caller was just named a Pro Bowl alternate, Daniels was on another level and is sure to take home the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year award.
“ChampagneBowl: I know every mock and rumour had him going here but I was 100% convinced the pick was Maye until the pick was announced
daswassup13: I agree and think this will be a big mistake”
Another Reddit user, this one a Commanders fan, had been hurt too many times to believe that Daniels could actually be the light at the end of the tunnel that they’ve been waiting for.
“Turbo2x: Regardless of who was picked, the universe will conspire to make it so the Commanders’ QB pick is always a bust. It’s just some kind of cosmic law or something.”
The comparisons with Maye and Daniels continued all through the thread. Reddit users obsessed about perceived advantages the Pats QB had over the guy who had literally just won the Heisman Trophy.
“C***ingInTheNile: I cant believe they actually drafted him, dude had more red flags than a CCP military parade
goodsam2: Maye is a much better pick
Jack12404: Drake Maye got hit hard by prospect fatigue. Daniels is a great prospect but Maye definitely should’ve been #2.”
That dual-threat ability is why Jayden Daniels has become such a lethal weapon in 3rd and 4th-and short situations. He’s deadly with that option because of how fast he can get upfield. Not to mention the fact that he always makes the right decision. That’s what’s been most impressive about him this season: his mental poise, rather than his athletic talent.
The Commanders led the NFL in 4th-down percentage with an insane hit rate of over 87 percent. Daniels also set a new rookie record for completion percentage, at 69.0. His four 4th-quarter comebacks were also the 2nd-most ever for a rookie QB. All that regular-season stuff was good, but it was his playoff run that will go down in history.
He joined Joe Flacco and Mark Sanchez as the only rookies to lead a team to two road playoff victories. However, considering the defense carried Flacco in 2008 and Sanchez in 2009, Daniels’ achievement is far more impressive. It’s hard not to think of Jayden Daniels’ 2024 campaign as the greatest rookie QB year of all time.
