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While Washington Commanders rookie Jayden Daniels' basketball skills are in question from Kevin Durant, there is no doubt that his talent in football is through the roof. As Daniels prepares for his regular season debut for the Commanders against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sunday, head coach Dan Quinn spoke at length about the traits that make the first-year player a special talent.
Quinn was on Sirius XM NFL Radio where he spoke about a bevy of topics surrounding the Commanders' upcoming season where the second overall pick was brought up. When asked about Daniels, he would reveal that while he comes off as “California cool” on the surface, he is a fierce competitor underneath.
“I would say like, it's such an interesting dynamic, he's got this California cool underneath in terms of what he is, but man, like he is one hell of a competitor,” Quinn said. “I would say you don't feel that from seeing him, he's not aggressive or loud or say anything. But man, he absolutely wants to go for it. And absolutely, like Matt Ryan, had that approach where, you know, nice guy image, but he was a real competitor.”
“The things that stand out to me about Jayden….is from the neck up…”
Dan Quinn is looking forward to rookie QB Jayden Daniels debut.
📻https://t.co/ROaoooKTca@Commanders I #RaiseHail I #Kickoff2024 pic.twitter.com/fziYmoi349
— SiriusXM NFL Radio (@SiriusXMNFL) September 7, 2024
Dan Quinn on Commanders' Jayden Daniels mental fortitude
Coming out of LSU, Daniels was highly touted obtaining the Heisman Trophy for his dual-threat ability where last season, he threw for 3,812 yards, 40 touchdowns, and four picks while rushing for a whopping 1,134 yards and 10 scores. Daniels will now work with Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury as while people will focus on his physical abilities, Quinn said that what most impressed him was “from the neck up.”
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“The things that stand out to me about Jayden, I think, is from the neck up, his ability to process things quickly, to get to the right play, to get to the right receiver,” Quinn said. “And that's what I was probably most impressed with the arm talent and the evaluation of those things, that was a pretty easy evaluation. Looking at it, what you found was he was playing the position well, the deep one up to Terry [McLaurin] was covered, he was able to go to the second or the third read. He could get out of a bad play and, you know, check to something that was there. So those were the things that jumped out to me.”
Commanders' Jayden Daniels “well past the average rookie”
Despite making the mental comparison to Matt Ryan earlier, which Quinn was the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons with him, he would not find a clear counterpart. However, he would say that Daniels is “well past the average rookie” though admits it will be hard as it is for any player making his first snaps in the NFL.
“I don't know if I can compare him to somebody else right now, but I would say he's well past the average rookie in terms of awareness and things to play,” Quinn said. “Is it going to be hard? You bet it is. It's hard for any position, but this is a player that's really equipped to handle those kind of moments and be in that space. He's just got a nice, calm demeanor underneath this rare competitor.”
Daniels will start for the Commanders Sunday when they face the Buccaneers.
