In many ways, the Washington Commanders offered Wisconsin long snapper Nick Levy's first look at an NFL franchise. His parents would drive past the facility when he was a kid, and he would tell them that he wanted to play there one day.
"It's right next to my house," Levy said of the BigBear.ai Performance Center at Commanders Park. "I mean, it's five minutes from here. So, it's super cool to get my first experience [in the practice bubble], and hopefully there's more."
Levy, who grew up in Ashburn, Virginia, and attended Broad Run High School, and several other prospects experienced a full-circle moment at the Commanders' facility. With two weeks before the start of the NFL Draft, the team hosted a local pro day for players with ties to the DMV. Many of the players grew up within miles of where the Commanders prep for games, while others have spent the last few years at one of the many programs throughout the area.
For some, like Levy, it was their first exposure to the professional level. For others, it was the latest visit in their draft process. Regardless of their path, they all viewed it as another opportunity to show off their skill sets to a potential employer.
"It's been amazing," said Duke pass rusher Wesley Williams. "They're a high-energy staff. Top to bottom, the vibes are great. Great drill work. It was really fun, honestly, just playing football."
Washington put the prospects through the regular workouts that have gone on at pro days across the country over the past month. They went through position-specific drills over the course of about an hour and met with the team's training staff for medical check-ins and physicals before ending the day with meetings with the coaching staff.
It wasn't the first time that many of the prospects had gotten a more personal interaction with teams. Maryland wide receiver Octavian Smith, a projected Day 3 pick who grew up in Burtonsville, Maryland, admitted the whole process can be "kind of nerve-wracking." Prior to visiting the Commanders, he had already been invited to the Baltimore Ravens' pro day and personally spoke with scouts from the Cleveland Browns.
But the Commanders did what they could to ease some of that anxiety. Smith said that head coach Dan Quinn brought the group together before drills began and let them all know that, for at least the day, "we're all Commanders" and would be cheering each other on. That message resonated with Smith, who called it a "wholesome moment."
"And then everybody went out and competed," Smith said. "I feel like everybody had a productive showcasing today."
And Washington's coaches made sure the prospects got the most out of the experience. Players were impressed with the level of detail the coaches went into when explaining the drills. They even went through the drills themselves and let players walk through them before going at full speed so nothing came as a surprise. "They wanted us to be prepared," Smith said, which he and the other prospects appreciated.
For players like Levy, who referred to himself as "a little bit undersized," that approach helped put him in the best position to succeed.
"My big thing...is just showcase my athleticism and showcase my ability to recognize fronts and be an athlete," Levy said. "A lot of guys can snap footballs, and I think what separates guys is their ability to block and cover."
That detail-oriented approach extended to the prospects' meetings with the coaching staff. Levy got to spend time with special teams coordinator Larry Izzo, who went to the same high school as Levy and spent 14 years in the NFL as a special teams ace. Like Levy, Izzo was undersized as a player at 5-foot-10 and 225 pounds, and Levy said it was "cool to get to talk to someone like that" who had a long and successful career.
Prospects also noticed how much effort the coaching staff put into helping players, even if they might not even get drafted or signed by them in the future. Williams had a lengthy meeting with Washington's defensive line coaches getting tips on how to improve his skill set. Williams said it was a "selfless love of the sport" that stood out to him, and it spoke to the family nature of the league as a whole.
"It's a small collective of people who are really doing this," Williams said. "It seems like everybody looks out for everybody."
While there is no guarantee that any of the players who attended the pro day will play for Washington, they believe the organization would be a great spot to begin their professional careers. Williams said that the team facility, which has gone through extensive renovations under Managing Partner Josh Harris, was "world class" and liked that there was a kombucha dispenser downstairs.
Levy was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the facility. He had heard that college facilities make a point to have the nicest facilities as possible for recruiting while NFL facilities, while still nice, "just have the stuff that they need." That was not the case with the Commanders, and Levy was impressed with everything he saw, from the practice bubble to the lobby and training center.
"It's super nice in here," Levy said. "Very modern. You have everything you need. When you're an athlete, you just want the simple stuff, and I think they have more than that, which is sweet."
NFL prospects are thankful to play for any team that gives them an opportunity, but there is the allure of playing for the hometown team for the local pro day participants to consider as well. Smith committed to Maryland partially because he could be close to his family, and it would be a "dream come true" for them to be at his games.
Smith already has an idea of how passionate the Commanders fanbase can be, too. Although he never rooted for a specific team growing up, his first NFL game was at Northwest Stadium, when the Commanders came back from a 21-7 deficit in 2024 to beat the Eagles.
Perhaps Smith's next experience at Northwest Stadium will be on the field and not in the stands.
"Just being in that atmosphere and just how loud it was, it was pretty crazy," Smith said. "It was kind of a wholesome moment. Like, one day, I'm gonna be out there. I have an opportunity to be out there, to be able to be in crowd atmospheres like that and be able to showcase my God-given abilities."
