Jayden Daniels
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Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels.
For almost the entirety of the 2024 NFL regular season, one rookie has ruled the roost, and that’s been Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels, the No. 2 overall pick and 2023 Heisman Trophy winner from LSU.
The last month has seen Daniels fending off challengers from all sides and, now, having the top spot in ESPN’s NFL Rookie Rankings taken away from him by Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers headed into Week 15 — and he did it in a unanimous vote.
“Bowers has already set a new record for receptions in a season by a rookie tight end, passing Sam LaPorta’s mark of 86, which was set last season,” ESPN’s Jeff Legwold wrote on December 11. “Now, Bowers has his sights on a rookie record that has stood for more than six decades: Hall of Famer Mike Ditka’s 1,076 receiving yards in 1961. It’s doable, as Bowers has four games left and has been targeted on a quarter of the routes he has run this season. There are some evaluators in the league who say he isn’t just the best rookie tight end, but perhaps the best overall tight end in the league.”
While Bowers has been magnificent this season with 87 receptions for 933 yards and 4 touchdowns, he’s done it on a terrible team. The Raiders are 2-11 and on a 9-game losing streak headed into a Week 15 home game against the Atlanta Falcons.
The Commanders, on the other hand, are 8-5 and holding onto the seventh and final NFC playoff spot headed into their Week 15 road game against the New Orleans Saints.
Bowers Arguably College Football’s GOAT Tight End
Bowers was the No. 13 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft out of Georgia, where he spent 3 seasons making a case for himself as the greatest tight end in college football history.
In those 3 seasons, Georgia went 39-3 and won 2 College Football Playoff National Championships while Bowers was a 3-time All-American and won the Mackey Award as the nation’s best collegiate tight end twice.
In 40 games, Bowers had 175 receptions for 2,538 receiving yards and 31 total touchdowns. He also seems like an overwhelming favorite to be name first team NFL All-Pro, making him the first rookie to earn the honor since New York Giants tight end Jeremy Shockey in 2002.
“Prolific pass-catching tight end with a rare blend of acceleration, speed, body control and hands that could breathe new life into a stale NFL offense,” NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein wrote in his pre-draft evaluation of Bowers. “He plays with relentless pacing as a route runner, allowing him to beat man coverage … secret sauce might be his ability to rip through tacklers and pile on yardage after the catch.”
Daniels Still Betting Favorite for NFL Offensive ROY
Despite Bowers’ ascendence, Daniels remains the odds-on favorite to win NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, with Vegas Insider listing him at between -250 and -300 odds across the 6 major betting services on December 11. Bowers is between +900 and +1200.
Daniels would be the third Washington player to win NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year following running back Mike Thomas in 1975 and quarterback Robert Griffin III in 2012.