Marcus Mariota gives initial impressions of Jayden Daniels

All eyes will be on No. 2 overall pick Jayden Daniels in the nation’s capital this football season after the Washington Commanders selected the reigning Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback with hopes of him becoming their face of the franchise.

Daniels had an outstanding final college season at LSU and will look to translate his game to the next level. Accompanied by offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, quarterback Marcus Mariota, and others that will be crucial in his development ahead of his rookie season.

Like Daniels, Mariota was also a Heisman Trophy recipient who was selected with the second overall pick in his respective NFL Draft. But he now enters a different stage of his career ahead of his 10th season in the NFL after signing a one-year deal with Washington in March. And following Wednesday’s OTAs, Mariota spoke on what he’s seen from Daniels so far at practice.

“He looks good,” Mariota said. “I think he really moves well, throws the ball well, and for a young guy that’s coming in (he) seems to really command the offense and I think that’s important.”

When it comes to raw talent, Daniels surely has it. Regarded as one of the most prolific dual-threat quarterbacks in college football history after throwing for 3,812 yards and 40 touchdowns and rushing for 1,134 yards and 10 scores on the ground last season for the Tigers.

But what also was appealing to Washington about Daniels in the draft evaluation process was his experience, joining the Commanders as a 23-year-old who spent three seasons at Arizona State and two at LSU boasting 55 career starts. Already giving off a veteran aura early in his NFL career according to Mariota.

“I think that’s very important in the quarterback position to be able to stand in front of these guys, especially older players, and kind of nail and say I got this, I got it figured out,” Mariota explained. “So I think he’s done a great job of that and we’ve just got to continue to help him grow and develop. And I think at the end of the day when we’re all competing in that room it makes every one of us better.”

Daniels receiving great early reviews paired with plenty of room to continue growing ahead of Week 1 is exciting news for Washington. As they look to usher in a new era featuring new ownership, management, coaching, and hopefully a dynamic franchise quarterback to take them to a new level.