ASHBURN, Va. — Sitting in the green room in Detroit, Michigan Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels knew the moment would come, but it doesn’t make the minute it arrives any less impactful.
And when his name was heard, Daniels realized that joining the Commanders was as much an ending as it is a beginning.
“That my childhood dream came true,” Daniels said when asked what went through his mind when he heard his name called by Washington. “And I’m blessed to be here and be able to hear my name called and I can’t wait to get to work.”
LSU Tigers quarterback Jayden Daniels, new Washington Commanders quarterback after being selected No. 2 in the NFL Draft.
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Daniels added the presence of his family and good friends receivers Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr. – both teammates of Daniels’ at LSU – as factors that enhanced the experience even further.
Nabers and Thomas aren’t the only former teammates impacting Daniels’ trip from Arizona State to LSU to the NFL.
Daniels told us he’s also kept up with former Sun Devils teammate, and star NFL receiver, Brandon Aiyuk since the two played together and to this day speak regularly.
“(I speak to) Brandon Aiyuk a lot,” Daniels said of his former teammate. “I talk to him three and four times a day, almost every day, so I lean on him a lot…I’m excited just to learn from him…but also just coming in and get to learn from my teammates now.”
Aiyuk has become one of the best receivers in the league today, but he’s also had the benefit of average to better quarterback play while with the San Francisco 49ers. Something Commanders star Terry McLaurin has had in spurts, but not consistently during his own NFL career.
The hope is, with Daniels’ arrival and the support of his family and teammates past that he and his new ones will elevate Washington back to the top of the NFC East Division, and eventually, the NFL.
