It's a new day in the DMV as the Jayden Daniels era is underway. The Washington Commanders selected the reigning Heisman Trophy winner out of LSU with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft last week to be their quarterback of the future. While Caleb Williams to the Bears was a foregone conclusion with the top pick, Daniels ultimately finding his way to Washington crept toward being as close to a sure thing as you could ask for in the days/weeks leading up to the draft.
Still, it didn't go without the Commanders going through their due diligence as this class was filled with an array of quarterback prospects with six coming off the board within the top 12 selections. In the end, Washington stuck with Daniels at No. 2 and UNC's Drake Maye came off the board next with the Patriots, but it appears Maye would've been available to New England regardless. Speaking about the changing betting odds regarding the No. 2 pick leading up to the draft on the Pat McAfee Show, ESPN's Adam Schefter revealed that Maye was not the second option for the Commanders. If it wasn't going to be Daniels, the pick would've been Michigan's J.J. McCarthy.
"The truth is, the Commanders, the two quarterbacks that they had in consideration at No. 2 were Jayden Daniels and J.J. McCarthy," Schefter revealed Monday. "Drake Maye wasn't going No. 2. He just wasn't going No. 2. He was going to go No. 3 to New England."
"Drake Maye was never gonna go to the Commanders at two..
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) April 29, 2024
The two Quarterbacks they had in consideration were Jayden Daniels and JJ McCarthy" ~ @AdamSchefter #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/SZTmiNv1t4
That's a pretty remarkable revelation because the odds did swing a bit toward the No. 2 pick being Maye at one point, so McCarthy coming off the board in that spot would've been a stunner. It also could've completely shaken up the draft. At that point, the Patriots could've then considered Daniels over Maye in that spot. If they decided on Daniels, Maye would slip out of the top three and possibly push either the New York Giants (No. 6) or the Minnesota Vikings (No. 11 and No. 23) to trade up to get him as he was the QB they reportedly coveted. It's a fascinating what-if situation.
Despite him gaining steam as the draft drew closer and the Commanders considering him at No. 2, McCarthy wasn't a top-five pick like many mock drafts suggested he could be. He did still end up landing with the Minnesota Vikings -- the popular trade-up candidate -- as they moved up slightly to No. 10 in a trade with the Jets.
