ASHBURN, Va. — The two Heisman Trophy-winning LSU quarterbacks facing off on “Monday Night Football” have similar stories to tell. What sets Jayden Daniels and Joe Burrow apart is their path to that stardom.

Burrow, the Cincinnati Bengals’ perennial MVP candidate, and Daniels, the Washington Commanders’ flashy rookie, were on the NFL Draft radar even before their final college seasons. Unlike their contemporaries Caleb Williams, Trevor Lawrence and Justin Herbert, they were nowhere near the first and second picks in their respective drafts.

“Before Burrow’s draft year, he was considered a fourth- or fifth-round pick,” said Dane Brugler, The athlete‘s draft insider. “Daniels was considered a third or fourth round pick. That’s a huge jump to get to No. 1 and No. 2. That’s definitely rare.”

NFL starters can emerge from the middle or late rounds, but the initial investment, financial and emotional, is far less than that of the first-round picks who walk onto the stage on draft night to shake hands with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and bump chests.

But it’s notable that they improved so dramatically that they became the faces of the draft of the year and were accepted by franchises as their men for the most important position in the sport.

“They’re both good examples of how to keep an open mind when it comes to quarterbacks,” Brugler said. “It’s such a dependent position.”

Neither Burrow nor Daniels were unknowns when they entered college football. “They were both four-star recruits,” Brugler said. “They didn’t come out of nowhere.”

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The two – both 23 and in their fifth year in the NFL – simply weren’t viewed as top prospects in their class. Williams and Drake Maye, the passers selected on either side of Daniels, who was selected No. 2 in the 2024 NFL Draft, were projected in the top tier for over a year.

The two quarterbacks taken in 2020 after Burrow, Tua Tagovailoa and Herbert were fixtures in the mock draft long before they were drafted. The NFL world saw them coming. The same goes for the first two selections in 2023, Bryce Young and CJ Stroud.

Each path is unique. Daniels and Burrow draw parallels. They both spent three seasons at one school before transferring to LSU. There, after a solid but not outstanding fourth year, they overcame circumstances or their football weaknesses to earn high marks from the evaluation community.

“These two guys were highly valued at their previous institution,” said an NFC scout The athlete“For certain reasons, it took them a while to show what they can do.”

Lawrence, the 2021 first-round pick, became a mock draft darling three years earlier after leading Clemson to a national title as a freshman. Daniels started for Arizona State as an 18-year-old freshman. During his three years with the Sun Devils, “there were times when he looked like Trevor Lawrence,” Brugler said.

Daniels led the nation in yards per completion (14.4) his freshman year, but after making progress at ASU, Brugler notes, “The next week, he completely collapsed.”

Daniels threw 17 touchdown passes as a freshman but only 15 in 17 games over the next two seasons, both of which were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. He transferred to LSU in 2022, three years after Burrows’ shocking dominance led the Tigers to a national championship.

Joe Burrow threw for 463 yards and five touchdowns to lead LSU to a national title victory over Clemson on January 13, 2020. (Mike Ehrmann / Getty Images)

To call Burrow’s 2019 stats outstanding is an understatement. His 60 touchdown passes, 5,671 passing yards and 76.3% completion percentage – all with just six interceptions and a 15-0 record – led the nation or set all-time college football records. The season set the bar for future LSU starters to improbable heights.

“He had an incredible season. Everyone said it was probably one of the best college football seasons ever,” Daniels said.

This is not what most people imagined Burrows’ final year in college would be like. The season before, he threw 16 touchdowns in 13 games after attempting just 39 passes in two years at Ohio State University, where he transferred after losing a quarterback duel with the late Dwayne Haskins. The limited opportunities and data contributed to his prediction that he would be selected on the third day of the 2019 season.

Then the quarterback’s performance and artistry sent Burrow soaring up the draft lists. There was plenty of room for improvement. The same goes for Daniels, who is Washington’s latest long-term QB hope. The NFC scout said Daniels’ running speed raised his evaluation threshold. Daniels’ 2022 performance with LSU – 17 touchdown passes, three interceptions, 2,913 passing yards, 885 yards on the ground with 11 rushing touchdowns – was objectively solid. Neither the scouts nor the loyal Baton Rouge fans were particularly moved.

“The fans were very spoiled by what Joe did and the great year he had – national championship, Heisman, all the accolades,” Daniels said. “They were looking for the next (great quarterback). For me to be able to get through that (scrutiny) my first year – I played really well my first year, and still it wasn’t enough for the fans. … Coming after Joe wasn’t easy at all, man. Not at all.”

Like Burrow, Daniels found his rhythm in his final year with the Tigers. The slender but highly athletic quarterback set a national record with 40 touchdown passes — with just four interceptions — while tearing through defenses with his legs, rushing for 1,134 yards and scoring 10 more scores.

“Everything came together in 2023,” Brugler said. “It felt like (Daniels) had the confidence to think, ‘I know I have what it takes, now I just need to execute.’ And he did that at a very, very high level.”

Daniels’ standout plays increased his national profile through October. November’s dominant performance against SEC rival Florida – 372 yards and three touchdown passes, 234 rushing yards and two more touchdowns – helped end the comparisons to Burrow.

There is no better player in the country than Jayden Daniels.

85 meters to the house. The moment. pic.twitter.com/e0ug9gYr1E

— LSU Football (@LSUfootball) 12 November 2023

“Halfway through the season, we kind of put that behind us,” Daniels said. “Like, ‘OK, what Joe did is great. But Jayden does what he does.'”

Monday night’s show will feature a head-to-head comparison, but not in terms of their performances as professionals. Daniels will be playing in his third career game. Burrow’s resume includes leading Cincinnati to the 2021 Super Bowl. That same year, he was the NFL’s best player with a 70.4 percent passing percentage and delivered his first 4,000-yard passing season.

Like Burrow, Daniels looked immediately comfortable in the pro game. The rookie scored two touchdowns in Washington’s Week 1 loss to Tampa Bay. Although he has yet to throw a touchdown pass, he is among the league’s leaders in pass completions (75.5) and yards from scrimmage (542). Daniels has yet to throw an interception, but he made his first game-winning drive in a 21-18 Week 2 win over the New York Giants.

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“These guys entered the league at 23, having turned 23 the previous December, and as five-year students in college. That’s what you have to say about players who stick around and go through the learning curve of college before they get to the NFL,” Brugler said. “They’re definitely similar in that regard.”

Young, a Heisman Trophy-winning starter for two years at Alabama, was benched by Carolina last week after two games of his sophomore season. Williams, a three-year starter in college and highly regarded, is battling a learning curve after three weeks.

Daniels and Burrow had backup at LSU. In their final seasons, both threw for a pair of wide receivers – Justin Jefferson and Ja’Marr Chase for Burrow, Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr. for Daniels – who were also selected in the first round.

Washington’s best receiver is on the shortest list: guys who catch passes from both quarterbacks during the game. Terry McLaurin, Burrow’s teammate for three years at Ohio State, describes the signal caller as “really charismatic” and a leader with a “magnetic pull” to teammates on and off the field.

“But when they get on the field, they are like extremely competitive individuals,” McLaurin said The athlete“They trust in their abilities and in their ability to play with their arms and legs.”

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Before their first faceoff, Burrow said of Daniels: “He’s a dynamic player. I really like his shooting motion. … Of course he’s really fast and dynamic. But I’m not sure he gets enough credit for the passer he is.”

Daniels said the good friends haven’t spoken recently. Expect to see a conversation on the field between the two former LSU star quarterbacks after the game.

“Joe is Joe, I am me, two different people,” Daniels said. “I live by the motto that comparison steals joy. If you constantly compare people, you lose joy.”

When you’re around the optimistic Daniels, you can tell he’s having fun. Considering the experiences of a star quarterback with a similar career path, it’s not going to end on one of the league’s biggest regular-season stages.

“Never let a moment get too big or too small, go out there and silence the noise,” Daniels said. “Because everyone is going to have an opinion. You just have to go out there and keep playing your game.”

(Top photo: Erick W. Rasco / Sports Illustrated, Mike Ehrmann / Getty Images)