How Jayden Daniels Fast Star Compares to RGIII
How Jayden Daniels Fast Star Compares to RGIII
By Levi Coovert Coovert September 25, 2024 04:34
Through his first three NFL games, Jayden Daniels has been more than impressive. The 2024 Heisman Trophy winner was drafted No. 2 overall to the Washington Commanders, where he has teamed up with new offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury to lead the No. 5 scoring offense in the NFL.
In his first three games, Jayden Daniels leads the league with an 80.3% completion percentage. He has also thrown two touchdowns and zero interceptions, while tossing 664 yards.
He has also dominated on the ground, rushing for 171 yards and three touchdowns. Daniels is currently second among all quarterbacks in rushing yards and leads all quarterbacks in rushing touchdowns.
After the Commanders' 38-33 win on Monday Night Football over the Bengals, the LSU product has jumped to the lead in Rookie of the Year Odds, with DraftKings giving him a mark of +130.
His stellar start to the season has led to comparison's between Daniels and another former Washington rookie of the year, Robert Griffin III.
RGIII also rushed for three touchdowns in his first three career games as a rookie in 2012. He did it while also accumulating 198 rushing yards and 747 passing yards. Griffin added four passing touchdowns and one interception in the beginning of his rookie of the year campaign.
Griffin began his career with a win before losing in weeks two and three. Daniels has done the opposite, losing his first start but winning his next two.
While Griffin's numbers are slightly better, it's clear that Daniels has talent, and his ability to make plays with his legs is what makes him such a dangerous threat. If Daniels wants to win the ROY, he will need to fend off challengers such as Caleb Williams, Malik Nabers, and Marvin Harrison Jr. If he does, he would be the first Commander to win ROY since RGIII.
Of course, RGIII's career wound up going sideways, so Commander's fans may not appreciate the comparison for their new young signal-caller. Perhaps a more favorable comparison would be Lamar Jackson, who also had a stellar rookie season with the Ravens.
In his first three NFL starts in 2018, Jackson rushed for 265 yards and two touchdowns, threw for 453 yards, and tossed one touchdown opposed to three interceptions. While he lost the ROY to Baker Mayfield, Jackson did go on to lead the Ravens to the playoffs, and won the MVP the following season.
Daniels so far appears to be more comfortable throwing the ball than Jackson was, but is still not as prolific of a runner than the two-time MVP.
Daniels and the Commanders will next take on the Arizona Cardinals (1-2), where Daniels will square off against another former Heisman winner in Kyler Murray. Watch for both Daniels and Murray to run wild in what could be a high-scoring affair.
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