Washington Football Team 2022 mock draft: Trading up for a passer

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MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA – JANUARY 02: Sam Howell #7 of the North Carolina Tar Heels warms up prior to the game against the Texas A&M Aggies in the Capital One Orange Bowl at Hard Rock Stadium on January 02, 2021 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images) /

Round 1

The Washington Football Team trades forward in Round 1. They trade away the following draft picks: This first-rounder, the second-round selection, 2023 first, third, and seventh-round picks.

Sam Howell, Quarterback, North Carolina

Sam Howell has a strong, accurate arm on long passes and Washington’s recently upgraded receiver corps has plenty of speed to haul in those deep bombs. If you want a solid quarterback that is able to effectively run a play-action pass, then Howell is your man. He has a quick release for slants, screens, and short/intermediate routes. The talented Tar Heel can do run-play option (RPO) as well.

Areas where Howell needs to improve include taking needless sacks, lack of rushing skills, reading through his progressions before leaving the pocket, and staring down his primary receiver. Four of these concerns are correctable and Howell has already demonstrated various levels of improvement. His lack of rushing skills will likely never see a change due to his lack of speed. Overall, Sam Howell will be a great choice in the first round.

Waiting until next year to add a quarterback of the future is the right choice. No reasonable options are available at this time and it would be too costly to acquire a franchise signal caller for 2021. Also, current starting quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick could be signed for another year next season if Howell needs a year to learn the intricacies of the NFL.

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