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Jayden Daniels had a stellar rookie season in the NFL.
He set the Commanders' franchise record for total touchdowns in a single season (31), led Washington to its first postseason victory since 2005, its first NFC Championship appearance since 1991, and earned the 2024 Offensive Rookie of the Year.
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But while he was sidelined for over half of his 2025 season, his fellow draft classmates continued to thrive in the league.
Chicago Bears quarterback and former No. 1 overall pick in 2024, Caleb Williams, just led Chicago to its first 11-win season since 2018, after posting a 5-12 record as a rookie.
He threw for 3,942 yards (7th), 27 touchdowns (6th), and just seven interceptions, while putting together multiple four and five-game win streaks to help the Bears clinch the No. 2 seed in the NFC and No. 1 seed in the NFC North.
New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye's name was thrown around MVP conversations for a majority of the season, as the second-year signal caller helped the Patriots post 14 wins and clinch the No. 2 seed in the AFC and top seed in the AFC East.
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He threw for 4,394 yards (4th), 31 touchdowns (3rd), and just eight interceptions, and won 13 of his last 14 games of the season. He posted a career-high five passing touchdowns in a 42-10 victory over the New York Jets in Week 15, and threw for a career-high passing yards in a 28-24 win over the Baltimore Ravens in Week 14.
In Daniels' absence, Williams and Maye have become the face of the 2024 draft class, something that Daniels himself could not be prouder of.
"I think that just says a lot about our class," Daniels said. "Those guys put in the work and deserve everything that they got and what's to come. I am super excited to see them and what they do in the playoffs, just like I am pretty sure they felt the same way for me last year. It will be fun to sit there and watch them."
In 2024, Williams and Maye both missed the postseason, and in 2025 turned their seasons around, and played some of the best football in the past five years for either franchise. Daniels did the opposite, however, it was due to his health, not his poor play.
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In just seven games, Daniels threw for 1,262 passing yards, eight touchdowns, and three interceptions; however, he left three of those contests early due to injury. When healthy, he can still compete at a high level, the level that his draft classmates rose to in 2025.
"We've got a badass class of quarterbacks," Daniel said. "At the end of the day, we are all going to be linked together, and we are all super competitive; that's why we are in this league. It is not like 'Oh, I hate you kind of thing.' It's a mutual respect, and you obviously want to see the people that you came into the NFL with do good."
Now, Daniels will watch Williams and Maye compete in the postseason from the couch as he prepares to return in 2026, stronger and healthier.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Washington Commanders: Jayden Daniels talks Drake Maye, Caleb Williams
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