Leaders’ Since Tom Brady, Sam Howell could be the best quarterback available in the late rounds.
In his second season, Washington’s rookie quarterback has quietly become more prominent.
You’re not aware of just how excellent Commanders quarterback Sam Howell has been this year, in my opinion. Furthermore, I don’t mean “you” in the patronizing sense or as in you, the reader.
I mean it in a broad sense. Perhaps because his club is only 4-5, Howell’s breakout season in Washington seems to have gone mostly overlooked. Is it perhaps because he has been fired frequently? I know! Perhaps it’s because he was selected in the fifth round of the 2022 draft.
Actually, a mix of those three factors is most likely what has made Howell’s second NFL season feel so low-key. However, among passers with at least 100 attempts to date, Howell presently has the highest mark (B- and going very near to a B) in my weekly young quarterback evaluation series. Better than even C.J. Stroud and Brock Purdy, absolutely. Remember that he is second in the NFL in throwing yards going into Week 10.
aaaLet us return to the draft status of Howell.
Since the year 2000, when the millennium began, 169 quarterbacks have been taken in the fourth round or later.
Among them was Tom Brady, the quarterback who is regarded as the best in NFL history. The Patriots famously selected him in the sixth round of the 2000 selection, at choice No. 199 overall.
Since then, those later-round quarterbacks have had, to put it mildly, a horrible hit rate. Now, during the last 24 drafts, have any reliable backups and spot starters been discovered in Round 4 and beyond? Naturally. Quarterbacks who are reliable, durable, and capable passers for their team? Not really. Really, very few.
Kirk Cousins was chosen by Washington in 2012, having sold the farm three rounds before to draft Robert Griffin III. Next came Dak Prescott, a fourth-round selection of the Cowboys in 2016, and perhaps, just possibly, Brock Purdy, who the 49ers made Mr. Irrelevant in 2022.
Not to be forgotten is Ryan Fitzpatrick, who was selected in the seventh round by the St. Louis Rams in 2005 and went on to become the ultimate journeyman despite experiencing many brief high points. He is in the middle of the two categories.
And now for Howell, who the Commanders selected in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL Draft. History indicates that most Day 3 quarterback picks aren’t all that exciting. Howell is an anomaly since, heading into his senior year at North Carolina, everyone considered him to be the best quarterback prospect available in the 2022 draft and a potential first-round selection.
However, Howell’s reputation fell and five passers were taken ahead of him when the 2021 Tar Heels failed after losing a lot of players to the NFL, most notably both of his dynamite running backs and two top receivers. Howell relaxed on the sidelines as a rookie in Washington until taking the field for the first time in the season finale, which saw the Commanders upset the playoff-bound Cowboys with just 19 passes from him.
For Howell, this season has been “the leap.” Does it imply he has been flawless or that he ought to be competing for MVP? No. However, he’s obviously made a significant improvement, as seen by the fact that he often makes throws that most inexperienced quarterbacks are just unable to. Examine Howell’s performance against these, to provide an example of very well-known passers, in the Big-Time Throw (BTT) department:
