Commanders rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels received some moral support this week on ESPN’s “Get Up.”
The subject matter was NFL quarterbacks when Anthony “Booger” McFarland, an NFL veteran of eight seasons with the Buccaneers and one with the Colts, interjected his strong opinion.
“Don’t be surprised if midway through the season, we’re having a conversation that is very similar to what he had last year. Meaning, the number two pick, Jayden Daniels, looks better than the number one pick, Caleb Williams.”
“Just like last year with C.J. Stroud and Bryce Young. There are a lot of people out of Washington telling me this young man Jayden Daniels, not only does he look the part, but his teammates know he looks the part. Caleb Williams will struggle and I think Jayden Daniels will come out of the gate flying.”
“We’ll have this conversation, Greeny, mark it down, July 16 (whatever day this is). We are going to have this conversation again.”
“Don’t be surprised if midway through the season, we’re having a conversation [that] … the No. 2 pick, Jayden Daniels, looks better than the No. 1 pick, Caleb Williams.”
—@ESPNBooger
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— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) July 18, 2024
McFarland was referring, first of all, to history. Indeed, the Carolina Panthers chose Bryce Young (Alabama) first, while the Houston Texans selected C.J. Stroud (Ohio State) second.
Stroud had a very good rookie season, while Young struggled. Consequently, by season’s end, it was unanimous across NFL circles that Stroud, not Young, had the better season.
Secondly, McFarland did not depend on logic or reports from either the Bears camp or the Commanders. His main ingredient was hope.
You see, those who may not be old enough to recall him in college, McFarland was a fine defensive tackle for the LSU Tigers before being drafted by the Buccaneers.
Commanders Wire would certainly love to see Daniels have a much better season than Williams. However, we also recognize that McFarland is simply looking out for his fellow LSU Tiger, and his bias is coming through loudly and clearly.
But we still hope he is correct about Daniels.