NFL Rookie Roundup 360: Jayden Daniels, Chiefs Swiss Army knife, Spencer Rattler hype

The recipe for success for Jayden Daniels will be the players he has around him.  The No. 2 overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft was expectedly named the starter for the Washington Commanders entering Week 1 of the 2024 NFL season.  Will he take the role and not look back?

The Heisman Trophy winner out of LSU is entering a good situation with the Commanders.  He has an offensive coordinator in Kliff Kingsbury who is going to call plays to his strength, and he has playmakers around him even with the team trading former first-round pick Jahan Dotson. 

Jayden Daniels' success will depend on his supporting cast

Asked about the supporting cast around Daniels, Commanders general manager Adam Peters feels like the team has constructed a nice mix of offensive playmakers to compliment the former LSU star.

"Yeah, we really like those guys, and that's why we felt we were comfortable with making the moves we made,” Peters said during Thursday’s press conference, via the team’s official website.  “And the guys that we have now are getting better and better each week. And not just the receiver room, but then you have two, really three running backs that can catch the ball out of the backfield. And one who's a specialist at it, and [RB] Brian Robinson I think is underrated at that. And then [RB] Jeremy McNichols is a jack of all trades. And then you got the tight end room where we got four really good tight ends on the roster, and another, a fifth one on the practice squad that can all catch the ball. That group of eligible receivers we think is really good and have gelled really well with Jayden."

With Terry McLaurin leading the wide receiver group that includes rookie receiver Luke McCaffrey, Daniels will also have a duo of interesting tight ends to get the ball to.  Veteran tight end Zach Ertz has proven what he can do in the NFL, but the intriguing playmaker amongst the tight ends is fellow rookie Ben Sinnott.  With the flexibility on offense, Kingsbury should have a field day creating plays for the exciting rookie quarterback.

In all, a nice balance of the run game and passing game will be the formula for success in the rookie QB's first season.

Chiefs have another weapon in Carson Steele

One of the preseason stories in the NFL was undrafted rookie free agent running back Carson Steele making the Chiefs’ 53-Man roster.

At 6-foot, 228 pounds, Steele has a fullback type body with the skills to create big plays with his ability to make defenders miss.  He has emerged as a backup to top running back Isiah Pacheco and should see more touches if he continues to make plays like this:

Coming off a final season at UCLA in which he rushed for 847 yards, it is no shock that Steele made an NFL roster, but no one expected the rookie to have a role for the defending Super Bowl champs.  With his versatility out of the backfield, Steele found the perfect fit with the Chiefs as player who could do multiple things out of the backfield.

"That was kind of my main goal coming into camp,'' Steele said via ESPN. "My main goal was trying to be like a Swiss Army knife, a do-it-all type of deal and wherever they need to put me in is where I can get in. ... Being able to block, especially catch out of the backfield too, not only just being able to run."

Andy Reid is going to have a lot of fun using Steele in the Chiefs’ offense.  It will be intriguing to see how he is used from week to week in Kansas City.

 The Spencer Rattler hype is real

After a strong preseason, Saints rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler has Who Dat Nation buzzing and a veteran quarterback like Derek Carr looking over his shoulder.

While the Saints won’t initially enter the NFL season with any QB controversy, the first time Carr starts to struggle or the team struggles, the Rattler buzz will only get stronger.  As it stands, the Saints at least know they have a young gunslinger to work with and an option as Carr is entering the last year of his contract.

Selected in the fifth round of the 2024 NFL Draft, the South Carolina product showed off his arm talent in the preseason.  He completed 52.6 percent of his passes while throwing for 202 yards and a touchdown.  While Jake Haener is QB2 on the depth chart, Rattler is the quarterback creating all the good vibes in New Orleans.  Something to watch in the NFC South as the season moves forward.