ASHBURN, Va. – Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels felt the pressure when he arrived at LSU. Two years earlier, quarterback Joe Burrow had led the Tigers to a national championship, won the Heisman Trophy and was the first overall pick in the draft.

And two years later, Daniels went out in almost a similar way: He won the Heisman Award and was selected No. 2 in the draft. They will face each other for the first time in the NFL on Monday night when Washington (1-1) plays Cincinnati (0-2).

But, Daniels said, it wasn’t easy.

“It was a crazy experience,” Daniels said of succeeding Burrow. “The fans were very spoiled by what Joe did. They were waiting for the next guy. I played really well my first year, but it still wasn’t enough for the fans. When I came back, I was like, OK, I don’t care what anyone else says, and I had the year I had. You have to earn people’s respect, but succeeding Joe? That’s not easy at all, man. Not at all.”

Both players excelled in their second year at LSU after transferring from elsewhere – and both likely would have been selected in the mid-rounds had they left after their freshman season.

Burrow transferred to LSU after two years at Ohio State University. In his first season with the Tigers, Burrow threw for 2,894 yards and 16 touchdowns. A year later, Burrow threw for 5,671 yards and 60 touchdowns in 15 games – and led LSU to the national championship in the 2019 season.

“He had an incredible season; everyone said it was probably one of the best college football seasons ever,” Daniels said. “To go out there and deal with the pressure of what this kid can do? That prepared me for the moment; don’t let the moment be too big or too small and go out there and silence the noise.”

At the time, Daniels was a freshman quarterback at Arizona State University. But after three years with the Sun Devils – and two years after Burrow’s departure – he transferred to LSU. His career was similar to Burrow’s: In his first season, Daniels threw for 2,913 yards and 17 touchdowns.

Then, after an offseason in which he arrived at the facility at 5 a.m. to film – and worked with virtual reality technology to simulate games – Daniel’s star rose. He threw for 3,812 yards and 40 touchdowns in 12 games and also ran for 1,134 yards and 21 scores.

Daniels said he noticed a change in the fans’ reaction to him at the start of last season. Like Burrow, Daniels used to have to go through a different door to avoid the crush of fans waiting for players.

“We tried to rewrite history as best we could,” Daniels said, “but it’s hard when you have someone who did what he did at an insanely high level. But halfway through the season, we kind of put that behind us — like, OK, what Joe did is great, and what Jayden does is his thing.”

“Joe is Joe, I am me, two different people. I live by the motto that comparisons steal joy. If you constantly compare people, you lose joy.”

Daniels said it was easier to transition to the NFL because of what he went through at LSU and Burrow’s standard set. Washington hasn’t had a standout quarterback in a long time. Since 2000, Washington has had two seasons where the quarterback made the Pro Bowl: Robert Griffin III in 2012 and Kirk Cousins ​​in 2016.

Regardless, Daniels knows there is one state that will be watching closely on Monday.

“It’s a big deal for the entire state of Louisiana to see the two of us compete against each other,” Daniels said.

Daniels said he and Burrow talk occasionally; the last time they spoke was before training camp, texting each other to wish each other a successful season and saying, “See you in Week 3.”