Commanders’ Jayden Daniels Ranked Higher Than Hurts, Dak & Caleb in Shocking QB List!

The Washington Commanders seem to have hit the jackpot by taking Jayden Daniels to be their quarterback in the 2024 NFL Draft.

What makes it more amazing is the fact that someone actually got drafted ahead of Daniels, though Caleb Williams certainly had his moments for the Chicago Bears last year, even if they didn't have the success the Commanders did.

Daniels and Williams will lead their Washington and Bears teams into battle against each other again in 2025, and after their first seasons in the NFL, it's No. 5 who came in much higher in the year's quarterback rankings from Pro Football Focus (PFF).

Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels. / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Placing Daniels No. 6 of the 32 projected starting quarterbacks, in the 'Tier 2: High-End Starters' group, PFF says, "Perhaps we’re crowning Daniels a bit too early, as plenty of quarterbacks have had standout rookie seasons only to regress in Year 2. But what separates Daniels is his poise under pressure and in clutch moments late in the year. His rookie campaign was arguably the best we’ve ever seen, with his 90.6 overall grade marking the highest ever recorded by PFF for a rookie quarterback."

We don't feel like PFF is putting the cart before the horse on this one, in fact, we'd argue that perhaps Daniels should be one slot higher at No. 5 where they put Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts. After all, if Daniels had an MVP caliber running back we'd probably be talking about the first rookie quarterback to ever win a Super Bowl, right?

Meanwhile, the Eagles tried to lean on Hurts early in the season only to turn and do so on running back Saquon Barkley in order to get the year on track.

Regardless, top six after one year of play is nothing to complain about if you're Daniels and Washington, and if he really is better than his division rival, the rankings will show it next offseason.

Other NFC East Division rivals didn't fare as well as Dak Prescott of the Dallas Cowboys ranked No. 17 and Russell Wilson of the New York Giants came in at No. 27.

Williams, in the meantime, came in No. 24 just ahead of 2025 No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward of the Tennessee Titans.