Top QB Prospect Drake Maye Reveals 'Best Friend' Relationship with Commanders' Sam Howell
In 2022, the Washington Commanders took a swing at the quarterback position when they drafted North Carolina quarterback Sam Howell in the fifth round.
Could the Commanders dip into that well again to take another shot at landing a franchise quarterback?
North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye is viewed as one of the top quarterbacks in this upcoming draft class. Maye and Howell were together for one season in 2021, and through that season, they developed a strong bond and still hang out together to this day.
Sam Howell and Drake Maye.
Clutchpoints
"One of my best friends," Maye said of Howell on Adam Schefter's podcast. "Sam has had a big impact on me learning, going in there my freshman year at North Carolina and it being his last year and had such great success. Seeing how he prepared and how seriously he took [it]...It was awesome to see him and sit behind him [for] that one year. It paid big dividends for me."
While playing on the team with one of your best friends may seem appealing to most, doing so when you're both quarterbacks complicates things. Maye or Howell would be keeping the other from being the starting quarterback in Washington if they both end up there. Though Maye said it wouldn't be the best situation, he and Howell will still be supportive of each other no matter how things shake out.
"I think it's one of those things where it's not ideal, but at the same time it's part of a business," Maye said. "You know we've done it in college together, and I think the best thing about it is we'll help each other, and you know whether the scenario goes, one of my best friends, there's gonna be no hard feelings."
Maye was named the ACC Offensive Player of the Year and the conference's Player of the Year in 2022. The 6-foot-4, 230-pound quarterback threw for 4,321 yards, 38 touchdowns and seven interceptions and ran for 698 yards and seven scores.
Maye's stats dipped slightly in 2023, as he threw for 3,608 yards, 24 touchdowns and nine interceptions, and ran for 449 yards and nine scores.
Howell got off to a strong start in his first season as the Commanders' starting quarterback but struggled down the stretch and was benched twice for Jacoby Brissett. He threw for 3,946 yards, 21 touchdowns and 21 interceptions in 2023.
If Maye is the guy the Commanders become infatuated with, they'll likely have a shot to land him with the No. 2 pick. If the new regime in Washington thinks Maye is the guy to turn the franchise around, it shouldn't hesitate about reuniting him with Howell in the nation's capital.
