Bill Barnwell: The greatest rookie seasons in NFL history, and why we might be watching No. 1

Jayden Daniels is one game away from going where no rookie quarterback has gone before. With a Commanders win over the Eagles on Sunday in the NFC Championship Game, he would become the first rookie passer in league history to lead his team to a Super Bowl. Beating Philadelphia for the second time in six weeks and advancing to the title game would be the latest in a series of stunning accomplishments. It would also raise a question I'm not sure even the most optimistic of Washington fans would have expected to ask after the 2024 season:Is Daniels having the best rookie season in NFL history?While his season isn't yet complete, it's possible to compare the No. 2 pick to other great rookies from the past, many of whom were already on vacation by the time the NFL got down to the final four teams in the playoff bracket. There's a significant element of subjectivity in deciding where he stands versus his peers from the past, but there are also a few objective measures of performance to use to gauge where he lands.Let's break all that down. I'll compare Daniels to great rookies from previous years, contextualize what has made this season so impressive and try to somehow decide where he ranks among the tens of thousands of other rookies in NFL history. All of that has to start somewhere, and I'll begin by comparing him to the best rookie quarterbacks ever.