The Washington Commanders were always looking to take a quarterback in the 2022 NFL draft. However, after Washington traded for Carson Wentz, selecting a quarterback early in the draft was off the table.
Before the draft, the Commanders worked out Nevada quarterback Carson Strong, who went undrafted. Strong was considered a good prospect, but a past knee injury scared teams. If Strong were around in the fourth round or later, many Washington fans expected him to possibly be the pick.
When the Commanders were on the clock with the No. 144 overall pick — the first pick in the fifth round — North Carolina quarterback Sam Howell shockingly remained on the board. Washington head coach Ron Rivera had passed on Howell multiple times, but not this time. Howell was a Commander.
Washington had its starting quarterback in Wentz and backup in Taylor Heinicke. In Howell, the Commanders had their possible quarterback of the future.
Many hailed the Howell pick as one of the steals of the draft. Luke Easterling of Draft Wire recently picked each team’s biggest steal, and Howell was his choice for Washington.
During the NFL Network’s live draft coverage, Daniel Jeremiah said he views Howell as a future starter. Jeremiah noted how most quarterbacks picked in the fifth round or later are throwaway picks or future backups and he wasn’t willing to label Howell as either. There are obvious exceptions, including the greatest quarterback ever to play the game.
Howell has the arm talent, athleticism, leadership and competitiveness to make it as an NFL quarterback. Is he a perfect prospect? Of course not. But he ends up in an ideal spot, considering there are questions about Wentz, meaning Howell could play sooner rather than later if Wentz struggles.
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