Well, it was bound to happen with the way things have gone this season.

Last year (2024), NFL fans repeatedly praised Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels. They extolled the Commanders for selecting him, saying he was much better than the first overall selection in the 2024 draft, Caleb Williams.

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What a difference a year makes, huh? Now into Week 12 of the 2025 season, the Bears are 7-3, the Commanders are 3-8, and the Patriots are 9-2, having won eight consecutive games. Thus, now NFL fans and analysts are praising Drake Maye, who was the third overall draft pick of 2024.

There is nothing wrong with praising Maye. He is having a great season, and hey, it’s not unreasonable to suggest that Maye could possibly have the best NFL career of those six quarterbacks selected in the top overall 12 picks. It’s also not unusual for some, like Kurt Warner, to take the time to do a film study and conclude that Daniels is not playing as well as he did in 2024.

Yes, six quarterbacks were taken in the top 12 of the 2024 NFL draft. What is so typical is that nuance is usually not much of an analysis; thus, we are typically told of how a young NFL player is either a Hall of Famer or a bust. I recognize the intellectual temptation is to be extremely lazy whenever we can get away with it. But that too often results in simplistic overreaction.

Of course, Daniels’ play is down this year with both starting wide receivers (Terry McLaurin, Noah Brown) being injured more than they’ve played. Zach Ertz has struggled more this year as well. The running game is not what it was in 2024 either. In addition, Daniels himself has been injured this season. Not just injured, but injured on three different occasions. Daniels has been injured in games against the Packers, Cowboys, and Seahawks, forcing him to miss additional games.

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Reading some on Twitter (X) or listening to the radio and finding some of the fan base suggesting Daniels is not going to be as good an NFL quarterback as Drake Maye. Well, that might be true after all. Who knows at this early point? But for some to be suggesting that Daniels is not going to be a good pro quarterback? Or, that Daniels should be traded, to pick up more draft picks to rebuild this team?

Perhaps Maye and Williams will both develop into better quarterbacks than Daniels. It is certainly possible, yes. However, for some to suggest that Daniels was a one-hit wonder? There is no evidence to support such a conclusion. Kurt Warner suggested some regression from Daniels, yes. However, Warner wasn’t suggesting Daniels is going to be a huge draft bust.

Yes, Daniels could do a better job of seeing the field and connecting with players in between the hashes. Yes, Daniels could do a better job of getting down and avoiding big hits when running with the ball. However, players and coaches both point to Daniels as remaining a leader, a hard worker on the field and in the classroom.

Final word of caution to the fan base might be to be more of an informed reader. Learn to develop some critical thinking skills. Listen a little better, read a little more slowly. When you do that, you will find you are not as prone to over-reactions each week during the NFL regular season.

This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Washington Commanders: Stop with the Jayden Daniels’ overreactions