2022 NFL Draft: Round 5 Starts With the End of Sliding QB

With the 144th selection, the Washington Commanders pick North Carolina quarterback Sam Howell.

The Washington Commanders take North Carolina quarterback Sam Howell with the first pick in the fifth round, 144th overall.

The slide of Sam Howell came to an end with the start of the fifth round. He was thought to be an early day two selection, and some had him potentially being taken in the first round. The slide of quarterbacks has been intense during the 2022 NFL Draft, leaving Howell waiting until the last day of the draft to hear his name called.

Howell makes throws look easy underneath and has a pretty deep ball with lots of air under to drop it over the shoulder into the bucket. He is very poised in the pocket, not letting the pressure get the best of him. He's proven to have a very strong arm, posting some of the top velocity numbers in the class.

After trading for Carson Wentz this offseason, the Commanders appear to have a backup plan if things don't work out. Also, Wentz has dealt with a plethora of injuries throughout his career, leaving Howell a chance to get playing time if Wentz is to miss time. 

The first pick in the fifth round could prove viable if history repeats itself with their current starting quarterback.

QUOTES FROM SCOUTING COMBINE INTERVIEW

"Yeah, definitely a little bit of a challenge [Losing key players], but to be honest with you, I think we had some really good players this past year, and I wouldn't have traded those guys for anybody in the world. They're all really talented players and work very, very hard. Obviously, we didn't achieve everything we wanted to achieve this past year, but we learned so much throughout it, so for that, I wouldn't trade this past year for anything."

"I think I did a pretty good job [making an impression at Senior Bowl] of that for the most part at the Senior Bowl. I just wanted to show people who I am as a person, as a player, and I'm going to continue to do that throughout this process. That's kind of my mindset about this thing, is I'm not going to try to come out here and be someone I'm not. I'm going to be who I am, and try to show these teams who I truly am."

"It's definitely a part of my game [running the ball] that I've been trying to work on the past couple of years. I think to be really successful at this position, you've got to be able to move around a little bit nowadays, and that's definitely something I take pride in. I think the main difference is going to be that in the NFL, I need to do a better job of taking care of my body. I can't try to run through tackles all the time and take all those hits I took in college. So, just doing a better job taking care of myself when I do try to run the ball."

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