Dan Quinn reveals rare trait that Jayden Daniels and Mike Sainristil have that many players don't, and it's what makes them special

Hitting on players in the draft for a roster that's being reconstructed is really important to the long-term success of a team, especially when it's at key positions like quarterback and corner.

Washington Commanders HC Dan Quinn believes that a player's second season is when you see the biggest jump in progress and development as a player, and he's right. You get to see what the NFL is like and adjust accordingly in the next offseason.

That's why what he saw in Jayden Daniels and Mike Sainristil in their rookie seasons makes them so special, they weren't just normal rookies.

Daniels and Sainristil showed "unusual" trait during the season

Quinn has been ecstatic about the progress he's seen from last year's rookie class so far over the spring and going into training camp for the summer, but he didn't have to wait to see it from Daniels and Sainristil.

The two rookie phenoms didn't wait until the offseason to correct the growing pains and the transition to the big leagues, they did it on a day-by-day basis as the season progressed.

"Jayden and Mikey, they kind of corrected it in season," said Quinn. "They didn't have to wait 'til the off season. I think that speaks a little bit to their rarity. Like it's normal to fight your a– off in the season and take your lumps, and then in the off season, I got to get better at this. I got to work on this. Those two, with the experience they had, they kind of self corrected faster." 

This didn't just happen, they worked for it and gained a key component

Quinn mentions that this comes from one major factor, confidence.

"You know, I've done this. I know what to do. I worked on this skill, and once you get to that space where you're not relying on just your talent anymore, but the skill that you've developed at the position, that's the secret sauce, man" Quinn added.

Usually you start to get that confidence in what you're doing when you're going into your second or third season, but Daniels and Sainristil gained it mostly due to their major roles out the gate as a franchise rookie quarterback, and a starting corner playing out of his usual position on the outside. 

Even with Daniels and Sainristil having outstanding rookie seasons, Quinn believes they aren't finished with their growth and development. They're both well ahead of schedule and it raises one question, how much of a jump can we see from them in year two?