Analyst puts superlative label on LSU football Heisman winner Jayden Daniels’ rookie season

Former LSU football Heisman winner Jayden Daniels had what CBS Sports’ Bryan DeArdo calls the “greatest rookie season in NFL history” after his Washington Commanders defeated the Detroit Lions 45-31 in the NFL Divisional Round.

Daniels went 22/31 through the air for 299 yards and two touchdowns against a Lions defense that turned Aaron Glenn into a hot NFL coaching candidate that the Dallas Cowboys were looking at. He added 52 rushing yards on 15 carries.

The Detroit Free Press's Dave Birkett included Daniels in the same conversation as some of the best QBs in the game, though he stopped short of seeing the LSU product on their level.

“The NFL teams that have the most staying power are the ones with the best quarterbacks. The Kansas City Chiefs with Patrick Mahomes. The Baltimore Ravens with Lamar Jackson. The Buffalo Bills with Josh Allen,” Birkett wrote.

“And the Commanders with Daniels might be next in that mix.

“Daniels showed remarkable poise for a rookie Saturday. He wasn’t flawless. He short-armed two passes that should have gone for touchdowns. But he was unflappable in one of the most ferocious road environments in football.

“Daniels’ legs make him a unique weapon, not quite on par with Jackson and Allen but dangerous in his own way. He looked like a star Saturday and one that will be a thorn in every NFC team’s side for a while to come.”

While many are clowning Brian Kelly with Notre Dame making the College Football Playoff National Championship, Daniels is making him look like a genius for taking a chance on him in the transfer portal as one of his first major moves in Baton Rouge back in 2022.

Daniels leads the Commanders against the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship Game next Sunday.