Commanders draft Sam Howell to develop behind Carson Wentz

ASHBURN — The Washington Commanders have a new quarterback. 

The Commanders drafted North Carolina’s Sam Howell with the 144th pick on Saturday, ending the signal-caller’s slide in the fifth round and adding another thrower to back up starter Carson Wentz. 

Howell’s selection gives Washington considerable upside at a position for which the team has been desperate to find a solution. The 21-year-old was once seen as a possible top-five pick, but a rough junior season hurt his draft stock. This past fall, Howell threw for fewer yards, had a worse completion percentage and committed more turnovers than he did as a sophomore. Still, Howell has above average strength and most draft analysts predict he could develop into an eventual starter. 

For now, Wentz will still be Washington’s starting quarterback. The team acquired Wentz from the Indianapolis Colts in March with coach Ron Rivera referring to the veteran as the team’s “QB1.” Rivera, though, acknowledged that the team could still look to draft a quarterback because Wentz and Taylor Heinicke are the only signal-callers on the roster. 

Howell reunites with Commanders wide receiver Dyami Brown, who played with him for two seasons at North Carolina. After Washington’s season, Brown called Howell a “great quarterback” with the ability to run the football as well. Howell rushed for 1,009 yards across three seasons with the Tar Heels.

“I seen him put in him, even when I was back in North Carolina, I seen him put in extra time with the offensive coordinator just to watch film,” Brown said of Howell. “Either it was our film, NFL film or just anybody. I seen him out in time. He’s a football guru so he’s a pretty good guy.” 

According to The Athletic’s Dane Brugler, Howell is “an outstanding deep ball thrower” and wasn’t easily rattled during games. But at only 6 feet tall, Howell’s lack of height affects him in the pocket and he’ll need to develop as a pocket passer at the next level.  Howell played in an RPO-heavy scheme at North Carolina, making quick, decisive throws while keeping defenses off balance with his legs. 

The Commanders entered the afternoon without a fifth-round pick, but Washington moved down from No. 120 to net picks 144 and 149 in a trade with the Carolina Panthers. The Commanders also took Nevada tight end, Cole Turner, with the 149th pick. 

Howell was the sixth quarterback taken in this year’s draft. Only one of them, Pittsburgh’s Kenny Pickett, was taken in the first two rounds, with the Steelers drafting Pickett 20th overall. 

Commanders general manager Martin Mayhew said Friday he was surprised how the quarterbacks had fallen. 

“I was not surprised to not see a quarterback go in the top half of the first round, but I was surprised to see guys lasting to the third round,” Mayhew said. “And so I can’t attribute to anything, you know, it’s probably each individual team making that decision based on their needs and based on their roster. But it was a surprise to me.”