In May of 2021, NBC Sports published a “way too early” mock draft for 2022, which at that point was still nearly a year away. The mock draft had the Texans picking #1 in the draft, and the player projected to be the first overall selection on 28 April 2022 was none other than the Commanders own Sam Howell. Here’s what the NBC Sports article had to say about Sam Howell at this time last year:
A freshman All-American in 2019, Howell has passed for over seven thousand yards and thrown 68 touchdown passes in two seasons at North Carolina.