For Darnold, it's always been about the slow and steady evolution of his game, and maybe that's what makes it so exciting to his peers. He's talked in-depth about his focus on taking in the playbook one day at a time, adjusting and learning from mistakes at practice, and getting to know his teammates individually to help him better understand how to communicate. But this mindset didn't come over night — it all started with some very specific goals this past offseason.

"I think first of all, looking at my tape from last year and understanding where I can get better and how I improved the last few games of the season and just continuing to do those things that I improved on," Darnold said. "Also, just working on my body — getting my body right, my hips, all that. So, those are kind of the couple things that I worked on this offseason."

With continued consistency Darnold has already been able to see changes in his game.

"I think I'm definitely a lot less stressed out in the pocket. Last year, first year in the NFL, first couple of games especially, I was very spastic in the pocket," Darnold said. "These first preseason games, I felt I've been really calm and we've just kind of been driving the ball down the field and I think our offense has found a good rhythm."

As the regular season quickly approaches, the team's confidence level in its young quarterback continues to soar.