• The Washington Commanders pick their quarterback: It was obvious the Commanders would pick a quarterback at No. 2, and now we know it’s Jayden Daniels.
• Daniels is the most mobile quarterback: Most quarterbacks need to be strong runners to have success in fantasy football, making Daniels an intriguing option.
• Check in on the PFF Fantasy live draft blog: Reactions and conversations around each pick as they happen.
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The Washington Commanders have had no consistency at quarterback, starting eight different quarterbacks in Week 1 each of the last eight seasons. Daniels will be the ninth, but he will hopefully be their quarterback for years to come. Any quarterback picked in the top five is worth serious consideration in dynasty leagues, but Daniels' rushing ability should lead him to be fought after in redraft leagues too.
A potentially elite rusher
Daniels achieved a 91.5 PFF rushing grade throughout his college career, which is the best among Power-Five quarterbacks over the last decade, joining Lamar Jackson, Anthony Richardson and Caleb Williams. He similarly has the most avoided tackles while Jackson and Jalen Hurts ranked in the top five. His passing shouldn’t be overlooked either, as he has the best mechanics of any passer in the class.
Jayden Daniels’ career college metrics and ranks:
| Metric | Value | Rank among QB prospects since 2017 |
| Rushing fantasy points per game | 10.9 | 94th percentile |
| Missed tackles forced per run | 0.31 | 95th percentile |
| Yards after contact per run | 4.05 | 96th percentile |
| Turnover-worthy play rate | 1.6% | 100th percentile |
| Catchable pass rate on 20+ ADoT throws | 55.2% | 88th percentile |
| Missed tackles forced per run | 0.31 | 95th percentile |
| Explosive run rate | 28.5% | 96th percentile |
What being drafted by the Washington Commanders means for Jayden Daniels
While Daniels won’t have the same quality receiving corps as Caleb Williams, the Commanders have some decent options, including Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson at wide receiver to go with newly added veterans Zach Ertz and Austin Ekeler. The Commanders also added offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury. Kyler Murray was a top-12 fantasy quarterback in points per game all four seasons Kingsbury was his offensive coordinator, including his 2019 rookie season.
Washington Commanders 2023 stats and ranks (Weeks 1-17):
| Metric | Value | Rank |
| Pass play percentage | 70.5% | 1st |
| Run play percentage | 29.5% | 32nd |
| FF PPG (QB) | 17.2 | 11th |
| FF PPG (RB) | 17.0 | T-13th |
| FF PPG (WR) | 22.1 | 16th |
| FF PPG (TE) | 6.4 | 19th |
| Washington Commanders‘ expected quarterback depth chart | |
| QB1 | Jayden Daniels |
| QB2 | Marcus Mariota |
| QB3 | Jake Fromm |
Fantasy football outlook
There are enough proven quarterbacks with fantasy success that Daniels might not be drafted to be a fantasy starter as a rookie but at worst, he should be among the top backups selected.
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