Jayden Daniels gets seal of approval from former Commanders QB

Everyone outside of the franchise remains in the dark about what the Washington Commanders have planned at No. 2 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft. It's widely regarded they'll take a quarterback after trading Sam Howell to the Seattle Seahawks - which one has yet to be determined.

The Commanders are staying tight-lipped. It appears to be a fight between three candidates - Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye, and J.J. McCarthy - all of whom are going to spend time speaking to influential figures within the organization next week. Whether opinions can be altered at this late stage is debatable, but it doesn't hurt to maximize every possible chance to find out more about what makes each prospect tick.

Robert Griffin III believes Commanders should draft Jayden Daniels

Former Washington quarterback Robert Griffin III - who was also a No. 2 pick - has made his choice. He believes that Daniels should be the Commanders' pick at No. 2 overall based on comments via USA Today Sports. Something he believes can get the franchise into playoff contention quicker than most anticipate.

"I don’t think that Drake Maye should be drafted before Jayden Daniels. I want to get that out there quickly. It’s not because I don’t think Drake Maye is worthy of a top five pick, or a top ten pick.

"It’s just because I believe that Jayden Daniels is a better quarterback at this point in his career. But when you look at the way teams evaluate the quarterback position, they’re forecasting forward. So, when they see the height of Drake Maye and his weight, and his arm talent and what he puts on tape, they’re projecting forward that he may or may not have a higher ceiling or they believe in his potential.”

There seems to be growing speculation linking Daniels with the Commanders. The large majority of mock drafts now have the LSU prospect going to the nation's capital. Adam Schefter of ESPN doubled down on the notion recently, even claiming fans should start buying jerseys with the new signal-caller's name on the back.

That might be a little presumptive at this stage, especially considering Adam Peters has yet to show his hand. He'll gather opinions from coaches and scouts, but Josh Harris is trusting him with the final say thanks in no small part to his sterling reputation for identifying talent throughout his time in the league.

If the choice is Daniels, the Commanders have their first genuinely dynamic quarterback since Griffin took the league by storm. Hopefully, the Heisman Trophy winner can have more luck on the injury front, but there is a lot to like about his franchise-altering potential after rising to superstardom with the Tigers in 2023.

Fans are watching and waiting. They also seem more optimistic in the decision-makers than any any stage during Dan Snyder's ownership. Even if that hasn't stopped the quarterback discourse from reaching exponential levels since Washington's latest underachieving campaign landed them the No. 2 pick.

Maye and McCarthy remain in contention, but momentum is everything at this stage of the exhaustive pre-draft process. Daniels has more of that than most right now.