Washington’s first-round pick is having one of the best rookie quarterback seasons ever. And there are plenty of signs his success will continue
There are times in life when the second shall be first.
In the 2023 draft, the Carolina Panthers made a major trade with the Chicago Bears to jump up and take Alabama quarterback Bryce Young with the No 1 overall pick. The Houston Texans were second, and they took Ohio State’s CJ Stroud.
Daniels’ EPA per dropback (a reliable indicator of per-play efficiency) of 0.32 is the highest for any rookie quarterback in Weeks 1-4 since at least 2000, and Daniels leads the NFL in passing EPA overall at +50.7. That’s some distance ahead of Josh Allen, who is second at +36.7.
Daniels’ completion rate of 82.1% is the highest for any quarterback over a four-game stretch at any point in a career (minimum 100 pass attempts) since at least 1950.
The Commanders have had 23 scoring drives this season, and Daniels has just 19 incompletions. The 1973 Los Angeles Rams are the only other team in NFL history to have more scoring drives than incompletions in the first four games of a season.
The 2024 Commanders have the second-highest EPA per drive through the first four games of a season in NFL history. The 2007 New England Patriots, widely regarded as the best offensive team ever, are the only team with a higher overall efficiency.
