How Sam Howell's past can define his future as Commanders franchise QB

How will Sam Howell's past help his Commanders future?

Even with the drop-off in his final season at North Carolina, the now-Washington Commanders snagging Sam Howell in the fifth round was an absolute steal. I covered the ACC during his tenure with the Tar Heels and watched/analyzed/studied every game. I still viewed him as a late first-round selection heading into last year's draft.

There were/continue to be plenty of skeptics. But I don't feel like a fanboy saying Washington could have finally found its franchise quarterback that has been as elusive as discovering some long-lost buried treasure.

Here are a few of the excerpts from the Bleacher Report scouting team on Howell ahead of the 2022 NFL Draft, where he was compared to Jalen Hurts. Yes, the same Philadelphia Eagles' signal-caller who stunned the NFL last year.

"Sam Howell is a tough quarterback with a good, strong build but below-average height for the position. He throws a very catchable deep ball and is able to get distance while also consistently getting a high arc on deep throws. Howell has good overall arm strength and flashes the ability to drive the ball when in rhythm on shorter and intermediate throws.Howell is a tough runner and can make plays happen with his legs. He is willing to take a shot, and he can fire up the rest of his team when he picks up a nice gain. He can handle designed QB runs in between the tackles because of his play strength, adequate athleticism and burst."

- Bleacher Report scouting team

ESPN's Dan Orlovsky recently summed it up perfectly. While plenty of the national media is down on Howell, there are a few that view him as a big-time sleeper heading into the new NFL season.

The ESPN analyst took it a step further by breaking down some of Howell's mechanics during his lone NFL start against the Dallas Cowboys to close out last season.