Tom Brady is the greatest quarterback ever and arguably the best NFL player ever. In a career spanning 23 years, Brady rewrote the record books and won an NFL-record seven Super Bowl championships.
In case you haven’t heard before, Brady was a sixth-round pick back in the 2000 NFL draft — No. 199 overall. So, when a new young quarterback emerges from Day 3 of the NFL draft, Brady’s name is always mentioned.
According to Chris Trapasso of CBS Sports, Washington Commanders signal-caller Sam Howell has a chance to be the best Day 3 quarterback since……Tom Brady.
As Trapasso noted, there have been 169 quarterbacks selected in the fourth round or later since 2000. There have been some pretty good ones outside of Brady, such as Kirk Cousins and Dak Prescott.
Here’s what Trapasso said about Howell:
And now we get to Howell, a fifth-round selection by the Commanders in 2022. Clearly, based on history, most Day 3 quarterback selections aren’t too fascinating. Howell’s an exception because before his final season at North Carolina, he was universally regarded as a future first-round pick, and to many, the finest quarterback prospect to be available in the 2022 draft.
Howell’s season thus far:
This season, Howell has made “the leap.” Does that mean he’s been absolutely perfect or should be in the MVP race. No. But he’s clearly taken a sizable step forward and has routinely connected on throws the vast majority of young quarterbacks simply cannot make. Check how Howell stacks up in the Big-Time Throw (BTT) department with these, let’s say, rather well-known passers:
We’ve often noted that some often knock Howell because he was a fifth-round pick. There have been some terrible takes regarding the matter, whether in the media or from fans: “He can’t be a franchise quarterback because he was drafted in the fifth round.”
Foolish talk. Sure, the odds are against you, but there are exceptions every year in the draft, just not always at the quarterback position.
The next knock is he takes too many sacks to be effective long-term.
Trapasso noted the sack numbers, but, as Washington fans know, those are improving, too.
More from Trapasso:
Like the sacks, the interceptions and/or turnover-worthy plays have to come down, too. Those turnover problems can linger longer than sacks for young quarterbacks, but let’s not forget Howell has just completed playing half a regular-season worth of games in the NFL. If he finishes the 2023 season with somewhere between 13-17 interceptions, it won’t be overly concerning, particularly if he counters those with 40-plus big-time throws, which is where he’s tracking.
Invoking the name of Tom Brady for any quarterback — regardless of their draft position — is dangerous. Mind you, Trapasso isn’t saying Howell is the next Brady, but he certainly believes he can be a franchise quarterback for the Commanders.
Amazingly, Washington has picked two excellent Day 3 prospects in Cousins and Howell. We know how things worked out between Cousins and Washington. But if Howell proves to be a franchise passer, new owner Josh Harris will ensure he remains with the Commanders for a long time.