For the third time in the last 10 drafts, the Washington Commanders selected a quarterback, as they picked former North Carolina passer Sam Howell in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
Howell is so far the sixth quarterback to be taken off the board in this year’s draft. Throughout his final season at North Carolina, he was deemed as an early contender to be a first-round pick, but with the overall uncertainty regarding this year’s quarterback class, he saw quite a notable drop in his draft stock over the past few days.
After being drafted by Washington, Howell took to Twitter to provide his reaction to finding a long-awaited home in the NFL.
“God is so faithful,” Howell wrote. “So excited for this next chapter. Let’s go to work!”
God is so faithful. So excited for this next chapter. Let’s go to work! @Commanders #HTTC
— Sam Howell (@Sam7Howell) April 30, 2022
Howell later added that over the past couple of days, he simply trusted in God, and overall, he views Washington as just the “perfect spot.”
“Obviously, it's been a whirlwind of the last couple of days,” Howell said. “For me, I was just trusting God throughout the whole process, I know that God has a plan for me and wherever is gonna be, it's gonna be good.
“I'm super excited to join this wonderful football team and led by coach Rivera, who I have so much respect for. This is a perfect spot for me. It's a team I wanted to play for all along. I'm super fired up. … I love the quarterback group as well, so many good guys with Carson and Taylor Heinicke in there. I'm just looking forward to getting to work with those guys.”
Here's new Commanders quarterback Sam Howell. Says Washington was one of the teams he was hoping would draft him. pic.twitter.com/g93megpOAv
— michael phillips (@michaelpRTD) April 30, 2022
One could presume that Howell may receive an opportunity to be the Commanders’ starting quarterback come Week 1 of the 2022 season, although the team is currently planning on handing over the job to Carson Wentz. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport noted that the team does “love” Wentz and has “really high expectations” for him heading into the 2022 campaign.
Howell joins Washington following a three-season run with the Tar Heels where he recorded 92 passing touchdowns, which ranked third in ACC history. He is set to reunite with former North Carolina wide receiver Dyami Brown, who the team selected in the third round last year.
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