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."