Last Friday was the first time that Jayden Daniels took the field as a Washington Commander, and naturally, most of the attention was directed at the No. 2 overall pick with dozens of cameras and reporters crowding the sideline.
What they saw was a first-round quarterback looking and acting the part, which looked as impressive as it can be for a practice that’s devoid of contact and pads. What impressed his coaches, though, were the things more difficult to point out.
There’s little to dispute about Daniels talent at this point; it was a driving force behind why the Commanders knew for a while that they wanted to draft him and give a shot at being a franchise quarterback. What they’re hoping will set him apart from the 35 quarterbacks that have tried to be the answer for Washington since 1994 is his work ethic, command and poise.
In his first practice of rookie minicamp, Daniels showed the staff that he has all that in spades.
“What you don’t see on the tape is how much this guy loves football,” said Commanders head coach Dan Quinn. “He works so hard at it. It’s one of the things that makes my heart smile about him, just like the type of competitor he is and the way he goes about his business.”
Jayden Daniels insists he is ‘perfectly fine’ despite a bizarre photo of the LSU quarterback’s elbow raising concerns this week.
The picture, which shows Daniels’ elbow looking disformed as he throws the ball in a game against Alabama back in November, quickly went viral after leaving fans baffled on social media.
The 23-year-old appeared to have a golf ball-sized lump attached to his right elbow, sparking a number of scientific theories online.
However, on Thursday Dr. Laith M. Jazrawi, Chief of the Division of Sports Medicine at NYU Langone Orthopedics, told the New York Post that the lump was not a huge cause for concern and can be treated with either an injection or surgery.
Now Daniels, who will likely be a top-three pick at this year’s NFL Draft, has played down the photo while reassuring fans that there is nothing wrong with his elbow.
‘You can get a cortisone injection, or you can surgically remove the bursa,’ he said. ‘The downtime for something like that is two to three weeks for a bursa excision, or you can play the whole season with it because it’s generally not that painful.
‘It’s surgically corrected. It’s not a reconstruction or a ligament repair.’
Daniels, who went from an extensive medical check at the NFL Combine, threw for 3,812 yards and 40 touchdowns with just four interceptions for the Tigers on his way to the Heisman last season. LSU finished with a 10-3 record overall and 6-2 in conference play.
He is expected to be selected in the top three of next month’s NFL draft, alongside Drake Maye and projected No. 1 pick Caleb Williams.
The first pick belongs to the Chicago Bears – followed by the Washington Commanders and New England Patriots.
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