Jayden Daniels was not even the favorite to win the Rookie of the Year Award going into the season as the second-overall pick in the 2024 draft. Now he's squarely in the MVP conversation through the first six weeks of the season.

Narratively speaking, the first-year quarterback has been at the heart of an instant rebuild in Washington. The Commanders have matched their win total from last season and sit atop the NFC East at 4-2.

The arrival of Dan Quinn and offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury have something to do with it, but Daniels' play has been a big reason for the quick turnaround. He is third in ESPN's QBR and second in EPA per play.

WIth the story and the stats lining up for the 23-year-old to be in the early MVP race, the rookie now has the fifth-shortest odds (+1100) to win the award on DraftKings Sportsbook.

No rookie has won the MVP in the Super Bowl era. Jim Brown won the award in 1957 and only 15 players have even received a vote since then. Of those 15, only two were a quarterback.

Here, we'll take a look at those two quarterbacks along with other notable rookie seasons and recent MVPs to come up with a clear picture of what Daniels needs to do to stay in the race the rest of the season.

Dan Marino, Miami Dolphins, 1983

Stats: 173-of-296 2,210 yards 20 touchdowns, six interceptions, 45 rushing yards, two touchdowns

Team Record: 12-4

MVP Voting Finish: Third

How different the league was in the early 1980s. Dan Marino finished third in the MVP voting despite starting just nine regular-season games. He didn't make his first start until Week 6 and ultimately went 7-2 as the team's starter. Still, he was the only rookie quarterback to receive a vote for nearly 30 years.

Marino's ability to push the ball down the field helped the Dolphins win the AFC East and established his reputation as a star. However, his completion percentage of 58.4 percent would be lower than every starter in the league right now.

Daniels' candidacy is the embodiment of how the league has changed over the years. He's leading the NFL with a 75.3 percent completion rate and has weaponized his legs while Marino was in the running while rushing for under 50 yards and only starting for a little over half the season.

With all due respect to Marino became, Daniels figures to have tougher competition than the legendary quarterback did when much of the league was far behind what he was able to do throwing the ball.

Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers, 2015

Stats: 296-of-495 3,837 yards, 35 touchdowns, 10 interceptions, 636 rushing yards, 10 touchdowns

Team Record: 15-1

MVP Voting Finish: 1st

Cam Newton wasn't a rookie when he won the MVP award nearly a decade ago. He was in his fifth year when he exploded for an unforgettable season that defined his career and earned him the highest individual honors he could have.

He's notable in relation to Daniels because of how similar their production profiles are. Newton earned the trophy because he took a huge leap in passing production, but he also scored double-digit touchdowns on the ground for the second time in his career.

Newton didn't have the passing numbers of Tom Brady that season. The then-Patriots quarterback finished second in MVP voting and had nearly 1,000 more passing yards, one more passing touchdown and three fewer interceptions.

Daniels could find himself in a similar situation going against Patrick Mahomes for the MVP Trophy.

Brady had the better passing stats but Newton's rushing and the fact that the Panthers went 15-1 and appeared destined for a championship tipped the scales in the latter's favor.

Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers, 2020

Stats: 396-of-595 4,336 yards, 31 touchdowns, 10 interceptions, 234 rushing yards, five touchdowns

Team Record: 7-9

MVP Voting Finish: N/A

Justin Herbert's rookie year is a great reminder that the MVP award isn't just about stats. It's about winning and narrative too.

Herbert's first NFL season is among the best statistical runs for a first-year quarterback. He set the record for passing touchdowns for a rookie, and there's a good chance if he had started from Week 1, he would have beaten Andrew Luck's yardage record.

Aaron Rodgers was the MVP that season and Herbert had more yards than him in one fewer game.

Despite the raw production and the historic touchdown mark for a rookie, Herbert didn't even receive votes in the MVP race. That's because his team never even felt like it was in the playoff race. The Chargers finished the year on a four-game win streak, but they entered Week 14 with a 3-9 record.

Herbert's final four games were good, but it was too little, too late for his MVP candidacy and the team's playoff hopes.

C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans, 2023

Stats: 319-of-499 4,108 yards, 23 touchdowns, five interceptions, 167 rushing yards three touchdowns

Team Record: 10-7

MVP Voting Finish: 9th

Marino's impressive streak came to an end last season when C.J. Stroud made a strong enough case to earn four points in the MVP voting and finish ninth.

Ultimately, his numbers weren't in line with the top of the MVP leaderboard. His passing statistics in isolation were slightly better than Lamar Jackson who won the award, but he also had 821 yards for five touchdowns on the ground for one of the most successful regular-season teams in the league.

It also didn't help Stroud's case that he hit a bit of a slump toward the end of the season. The Texans went 2-3 from Weeks 12-16, and he had just 91 passing yards in a 30-6 loss to the Jets in one of those games.

The Ohio State product left that contest late with a concussion and missed the next two games.

It would have been interesting to see how much higher Stroud would have finished if he had remained healthy and played better against the Jets. The lesson for Daniels' campaign is that it will be critical for him to play well and remain healthy down the stretch.

Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens 2023

Stats: 307-of-457 3,678 yards, 24 touchdowns, seven interceptions, 821 rushing yards and five touchdowns

Team Record: 13-4

MVP Voting Finish: 1st

Lamar Jackson and Jayden Daniels aren't quite the same player. They are different as passers in terms of how they win and what their strengths are.

However, Jackson is probably the closest blueprint Daniels has because they are both going to help their resume with their rushing ability.

Jackson wasn't as prolific as he was in his 2019 campaign when he threw for 36 touchdowns and six interceptions while rushing for 1,206 yards and seven touchdowns. Those numbers are probably out of reach for Daniels.

The 2023 campaign is a lot more realistic look. Daniels is not quite on pace for the rushing production, but his passing stats are on track to potentially eclipse some of the marks Jackson hit last season.

Jackson also benefitted from the narrative angle. His abiltiy to elevate the Ravens back to the top of the AFC in a down year for Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen opened the door for him to win the award despite less impressive stats than his first MVP campaign.

Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders, 2024

Stats: 125-of-166 1,404 yards, six touchdowns, two interceptions, 322 rushing yards, four touchdowns

Team Record: 4-2

MVP Voting Finish: ??

Right now, it's fun to project a rookie run at MVP for Daniels. He didn't back down from going head-to-head against last year's MVP in Week 6. He posted 269 yards while going 24-for-35 with two touchdowns and no interceptions on the road in a 30-23 loss to the Ravens.

However, he's going to have to up his passing productions and collect a few signature wins down the stretch if he wants to have a chance.

At his current pace, Daniels is on course to finish with 3,978 passing yards, 17 touchdowns and six interceptions. On the ground, he's set to gain 912 yards with 11 touchdowns.

That's more total touchdowns (38) than Jackson had last season (29), but the Baltimore star also benefitted from a field of candidates that wasn't as productive as usual.

That isn't the case this year. Jackson is on track for even bigger numbers than he had last season, and Patrick Mahomes continues to rally the Chiefs offense despite severe injuries to multiple receivers.

Taking the lessons we can learn from these former rookies and MVPs, Daniels is going to have continue to put up elite production, finish the season strong and carry the Commanders to at least 11-12 wins to have a real shot at winning the MVP Trophy.