Tar Heels Reunion: Could Washington Draft QB Sam Howell After UNC Pro Day?
I haven't seen a single mock draft bringing a quarterback to the Washington Commanders since the team traded with the Indianapolis Colts to bring Carson Wentz on board.
While quarterbacks like Malik Willis, Kenny Pickett, Matt Corral, and Sam Howell all filled Pick 11's spot at one point or another, it's been mostly wide receivers slotted there lately.
Like it or not, Wentz is the top quarterback acquisition for Washington this offseason, but it doesn't mean the team is out of the market for drafting one, anyway.
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This is why the Commanders were one of the teams in attendance on Monday when Sam Howell took the field at North Carolina's Pro Day.
Of course, all 32 NFL teams were in attendance, so it's no surprise Washington was, too. Still ...
How did Howell do at his Pro Day in front of literally every NFL team?
"I thought it went really well," Howell told Mike Garofolo and Steve Smith Sr. of NFL Network following the workout. "It was a good session."
In what can only be described as the longest job interview imaginable, every workout is a chance to impress or disappoint league talent evaluators.
And of course, every player intends to leave a lasting impression in hopes of inspiring one team to add them to the roster.
When asked what he wanted to show scouts in this final opportunity to work in a public forum, Howell emphasized the footwork he's been working on in the build-up to the workout.
"I wanted to make sure I was comfortable with it, just because we didn't do a lot of the stuff they do in the NFL in college," Howell said. "The footwork is a little different, so I spent a lot of time doing that."
We'll have to wait and see if the quarterback impressed Washington's scouts enough to make him a 2022 draft pick by the team, but there's one thing we all witnessed that'll work in Howell's favor no matter what.
We all saw how Ja'Marr Chase reunited with his former LSU quarterback teammate Joe Burrow in 2021 and helped catapult the Cincinnati Bengals from a top team in the NFL Draft to the top team in the AFC.
That familiarity and near-instant chemistry were impactful and gave both young players a tactical advantage to help overcome their lack of professional experience.
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Howell has been criticized and doubted all offseason for his drop in production after so many of his collegiate weapons left for the NFL last season, including Washington Commanders wide receiver Dyami Brown.
Brown himself didn't have the NFL debut season many had hoped he might when he was selected in the third round of the 2021 draft, but that can all change in 2022 and beyond.
Especially if he's reunited with his quarterback.
If the Commanders scouts on hand are convinced in Howell's development without consistent coaching by an NFL staff and believe reuniting the quarterback with his college receiver could spark accelerated growth, then we may see him trading Tarheel blue for burgundy and gold, very soon.
The Athletic’s Dane Brugler thinks he's going in Round 2. A PFN mock sent Howell to the Commanders with the 11th pick. So ... it's early - too early to predict or lock into this scenario. But Washington drafting a QB doesn't mean the end for Wentz. But it would mean he's seen as a "bridge'' ... with somebody like Howell as the future.
