The 2022 NFL Draft is right around the corner. The event will take place from April 28-30 in Las Vegas.
Former North Carolina quarterback Sam Howell is expected to be the first quarterback from UNC to be drafted since Mitchell Trubisky’s six years ago, when he was selected with the second overall by the Chicago Bears.
Howell entered his name into the NFL Draft in January following the Tar Heel's loss to South Carolina in the Duke's Mayo Bowl. Since then, Howell has spent time in Irvine, CA, and Chapel Hill preparing for his future as a professional quarterback.
THI has covered Howell for seven years as an amateur athlete dating back to our first interview with him as a freshman in high school, so we thought it was only suitable to look ahead to Sam Howell, the professional.
Draft Profile:
· Position: Quarterback
· School: North Carolina
· Current Year: Junior
· Height: 6'0 1/4″
· Weight: 221
· Wingspan: 75 5/8″
· Arm: 31 1/8″
· Hand: 9 1/8″
Where Can He Strive In The NFL?
Most scouts agree that Sam Howell's arm strength is among his best attributes as a prospect. At the NFL Combine, he recorded the highest velocity of any quarterback at the event. The ability to throw at high speed will allow Howell to fit balls into the smaller NFL windows. Also, Howell's ball placement on his deep throws is impressive.
As a true freshman, Howell completed six touchdown passes of 40-yards or more, the most in the country. In addition, he had 15 touchdown throws that were 30-yards plus, which was five more than any other quarterback in college football.
Where Could He Struggle In The NFL?
In the 2021 season, the loss of four NFL-caliber skill players shined a light on some of Howell's weaknesses. Howell's aggressive mindset is one of the things that led him to be one of the best deep-ball throwers in college football. However, there were times when Howell would pass up a five-to-seven-yard gain to get a chunk play when a shorter gain would've sufficed.
Howell also showed a tendency to lock onto his primary receiver at times last season, and if it didn't come open, he would run. At the next level, he will likely not have the same impact as a runner as last season, so it's vital for him to be able to go through his progressions.
Projections:
Considering the number of trades usually made on Draft day, predicting what city a player will go to is close to impossible. However, as of now, teams in the NFL who might consider Howell as an upgrade at quarterback are: Carolina Panthers, Seattle Seahawks, New York Giants, Detroit Lions, Houston Texans, and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Howell has a wide range of projections as to where he will be chosen in the draft. PFF makes the highest projection, and they have him being taken 16th overall. The average mock draft has Sam safely in the second round, while a few have him slipping to the third round.
Final Thouhgts:
Howell has shown for the last three years that he has what it takes from a leadership standpoint to be a franchise quarterback. A lot of scouts lowered his draft grade because of the drop in production throwing the football, but keep in Howell's worst year as a Tar Heel, would be a career year for a lot of power five quarterbacks.
