Jayden Daniels and Malik Nabers’ friendly competition will never stop

The taunts followed Malik Nabers the day after a late game fall.

“You suck,” Jayden Daniels told him.

The LSU teammates-turned-top-10 picks make a point of watching each other’s NFL games, and some competitive banter inevitably ensues. The New York Giants’ rookie receiver allowed a slant pass in the fourth quarter to slip from his grasp in their loss Monday night, giving the Washington Commanders quarterback an opening to take his latest shot over a video chat.

“He sure knows how to piss me off,” Nabers said, laughing when asked about Daniels’ comment.

Don’t worry. Nabers has had his turn to make remarks.

It may seem harsh, but the joking comment comes from a place of competition, respect and friendship. The powerhouse duo from LSU might have arrived in the NFL this year on separate teams — Daniels went No. 2 to Washington and Nabers landed with New York at No. 6 — but the back-and-forth familiarity that has helped push them to their present heights were built in Baton Rouge.

“It’s just that extra motivation to make sure we do everything right,” Nabers said. “It’s like, ‘Get on the field.’ We never want to see each other fail.”

Fortune brought the two together at LSU in 2022, at turning points in their specific journeys. Daniels garnered significant attention as a top quarterback recruit from Southern California’s “Inland Empire” region and as a 17-year-old freshman at Arizona State. He arrived in the Deep South with his trademark quiet confidence just as Nabers was “stepping into the alpha dog role” of the program, said former LSU and current Notre Dame offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock. Daniels entered fourth on the initial quarterback depth chart.

There was an emotional process as they got to know each other as teammates and built trust. Daniels impressed Nabers with how his goal of making the league motivated those around him to work harder. Whether it was the early morning practices or the extra film sessions, Nabers saw Daniels consistently operate as a leader. A throwing trip to California with the receivers when Daniels first arrived at LSU strengthened their bond and moved the duo beyond just being teammates.

“It’s a friendship that, I think, was born out of two guys recognizing themselves in the other guy,” Denbrock said. “And the competitiveness they had with each other made each of them so much better and made people around them better.”

Their pairing at LSU was the start of the back and forth egging. Take an underhanded deep shot in practice, for example.

“I’d be like, ‘Bro, what are you doing?’ Just like you trip. Throw the ball straight,’” Nabers recalls telling Daniels. “He’d be like, ‘Well, catch the ball where I throw it to you.'”

It became their modus operandi. Constant athletic debates were sprinkled into their daily lives: Who was faster? Who could do this? Who could do that?

“It was pretty good-natured fun,” Denbrock said. “I think underneath that, you could always tell that they’re both so competitive that while they joked about it with each other, they were serious about it at the same time. They actually believed it.”

As LSU recruiting specialist Sherman Wilson said, “It’s just like the old ones (Michael) Jordan (and Mia Hamm) commercials: Anything you can do, I can do better. That’s pretty much their relationship. To challenge, to strengthen each other.”

Despite their different personalities, when Daniels and Nabers found their overachiever doppelgangers, “it created an energy that allowed them to grow,” Wilson said.

“I’m definitely more calm than him,” Daniels said of the outgoing Nabers. “But on the field, I think we both have a common goal: Go out there and win, by any means necessary. That’s the most important thing. I guess that’s why we jell so much.”

When the 2023 LSU season started, the two performed in perfect harmony.

“Jayden could make throws that other guys couldn’t catch,” Wilson said, “but Malik, because of their offseason, could work together.”

Their goals became close to reality. Nabers finished his college career as the Tigers’ all-time leader in receptions (189) and receiving yards (3,003). But Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr. won him the Biletnikoff Award, given to the nation’s best wide receiver. Daniels walked away with the Heisman Trophy after throwing 40 touchdown passes, scoring 50 touchdowns and averaging 412.2 yards per game while also setting an FBS passer rating record (208.01).

They became a “bit of an unstoppable duo,” Denbrock said.

These impressive resumes got scouts excited. After two years of making history together in the South, the two began taking care of opposing teams in the NFC East.

In week 2 they have met for the first time on an NFL field. Nabers was arguably the game’s best player, dominating Washington’s secondary with 10 receptions for 127 yards and a touchdown. The Commanders didn’t find the end zone all game, but Daniels led them to points on every drive for a 21-18 come-by-behind victory. The Giants have fallen to 2-6 in the weeks since and are riding a three-game losing streak. Meanwhile, Washington is chasing its first 7-2 start since 1996.

You knew this jersey change was coming@LSUfootball | #RaiseHail pic.twitter.com/BuHNJnlaWa

— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) 15 September 2024

Daniels enters Week 9 second in the league with a 71.8 completion percentage for 1,736 passing yards, 11 total touchdowns (seven passing) and 424 yards on the ground. Nabers has 46 receptions for 498 yards and three touchdowns despite missing two games with a concussion. The other LSU rookie headliner and bonded friend, Jacksonville Jaguars first-round wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr., entered the week sixth in the NFL with 573 receiving yards.

“At this point, we can say we’re having an OK year,” said the very understated Daniels. “We just have to keep building. There is no one else I would rather have gone through this process with.”

But in the midst of their historic seasons, the two friends continue to be sounding boards for each other with almost daily conversations.

And yes, there is still the “friendly” talk.

Ask them about their game day and who wins the best-dressed category with votes cast by LSU friends, and well, you won’t get a straight answer. Even their hairstyles provoke “who had it first” debates. But the exchanges always go back to where it all originated: football.

While Nabers struggled with the slump in his prime-time Monday, Daniels delivered a dose of heroism Sunday to starved Washington fans. He connected with Noah Brown on a game-winning Hail Mary touchdown against the Chicago Bears on Sunday despite playing with a rib injury.

“It was crazy,” Nabers told Daniels after the game. “But yeah, you won’t get that next week.”

(Top illustration: Andy Lyons, Jonathan Bachman, Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)