Sam Howell Scouting Report: 2022 NFL Draft Prospect Report

 

Quarterback, North Carolina Tarheels, # 7

 

Measurements

6′ 1″ / 220 lbs

40 time: fastest recorded time to date 4.99 seconds.

 

Sam Howell Player Profile

Sam Howell went to Sun Valley High School in Monroe, North Carolina. Howell was a 4-year varsity letterman in football and a 2-year varsity letterman in baseball. According to MaxPreps, he started right out of the gate for Sun Valley and he did not disappoint. He completed 202 passes for 3,586 yards and 35 touchdowns while scoring 7 rushing touchdowns. After having this kind of freshman season, he kept getting more efficient as the years went on.

Fast-Forward to his senior year where he completed 179 passes for 3,240 yards and 36 passing touchdowns. That’s not all he did though, he also rushed for 1,392 yards and 17 touchdowns. This kind of efficiency led him to be a 4-star recruit according to 247sports. That led him to committing to the University of North Carolina.

His stats at UNC his freshman year look very similar to his stats in high school. According to ESPN, Howell completed 234 passes for 3,347 yards and 35 touchdowns. Putting up these kinds of numbers your first year as a starter will attract a lot of attention from NFL scouts and other media sources. That is exactly what happened for us here at Draft Dive. In our Top 10 NFL Draft Prospects 2022 article, we ranked Howell as the number four overall prospect. He was also the number one ranked quarterback. Even though there have been some red flags from him so far this season, I would still rank him this high because he has such high upside.

Strengths

 

Quick Release

Howell’s ability to get the ball to the receiver quickly is a big reason why I have him ranked as high as I do. When Howell throws the ball, it looks like the ball was just shot out of a rifle. Although his accuracy on short throws is a little shaky at times, he still does a good job of slinging the ball past the defenders. This gives the receiver a chance to make a play. He also does a good job of reading the defense and uses his quick release to expose them in short gains.

 

Works Through Progressions Well

 

When preparing for the Sam Howell scouting report I noticed he is fantastic at working through his progressions and making the best read possible. When watching his film, I kept realizing Sam would quickly move on from his primary receiver if there was no space. Some other quarterbacks have a tendency to stay with the primary target for too long. Once they realize the number one read isn’t open, all of the other receivers are covered.

 

Arm Strength

As mentioned when I talked about his quick release, Howell has one of the best arms in the nation. When watching his film, I realized that he does a great job of pushing the ball down the field in a matter of a few plays. He has struggled so far this year to get the ball down the field against difficult opponents like Virginia Tech. With this being said, I think he has a lot of upside and will keep improving when he gets to the NFL.

 

Reading Defenses

Howell does a great job of reading the defense and anticipating what they are going to do prior to the snap. I also think he does a fantastic job of scanning the field in the pocket and waiting to let the play develop. When watching his film, I couldn’t help but notice that he did a fantastic job of letting the play develop and finding the holes in the defense. He did a fantastic job of this versus Virginia in 2020. In this game he threw for 443 yards and 4 touchdowns.

 

Extending Plays

Although his mobility won’t blow you away, he does a fantastic job of avoiding pressure and getting the play off. When watching his film, I realized that he does a great job of moving around in the pocket to avoid pressure. Also, if he needs to tuck the ball and make the play on his own, he can definitely do that. However, I would not rely on him to rush the team down the field himself ala Lamar Jackson.

 

Weaknesses

 

Short Throw Accuracy

 

When watching his film from last year and this year I realized that his short throw accuracy can be a little shaky. This is where I think his throwing velocity can get him into trouble. If he does not have pinpoint accuracy to go along with a cannon of an arm, he will be a very inefficient QB. In my opinion, he should sacrifice some of that throwing velocity. He can then focus more on his accuracy from all throwing distances. With all of this being said, I don’t want you to think this can’t be improved upon. After this season ends he should focus his offseason on improving his accuracy.

 

Needs Supporting Cast

When comparing his 2020 film to his 2021 film so far, I realized that he is not as efficient because three of his biggest targets got drafted. This raised a red flag for me because if you want to make it at the next level, you have to work with who is on the roster. I understand that quarterbacks have favorite targets, I just think that if you want to be a top QB in the NFL you need to be effective regardless of who you have around you.

 

Final Thoughts on Sam Howell

Although Howell can be a little inconsistent from time to time, I think that he has what it takes to be a day one starter in the NFL. His arm strength and ability to work through his progressions are what really sets him apart from the rest of the crowd. This is what could punch his ticket to being the first QB taken in the 2022 NFL Draft. As I noted earlier, he made our pre-season Top 10. Sam should still be a first round pick, even after the shaky start to the season.

Sam Howell NFL Comparison: Howell reminds me a lot of Baker Mayfield when he was at Oklahoma. They are both very effective with the deep ball and do a great job of keeping the play alive.

Sam Howell Scouting Report by Matthew Lewis