Panthers 2022 draft scouting report: Sam Howell is a local favorite

Could the Carolina Panthers go in a local direction at No. 6 overall in the 2022 NFL Draft by selecting quarterback Sam Howell?

One of the worst-kept secrets in the NFL is that the Carolina Panthers are looking for a formidable starting quarterback. Their aggressive attempt at trading for the controversial signal-caller Deshaun Watson only made that claim ever so true as they continue to look at their options entering the second month of the new league year.

The Panthers are stuck with Sam Darnold as their starter at the moment. The former No. 3 overall selection is on the books for $18.85 million guaranteed after Carolina chose to use his fifth-year option after trading for him last April, making it very tough for general manager Scott Fitterer to find a viable trade partner to offload the former USC Trojan.

This means the Panthers are likely to head in the direction of drafting a quarterback, one that they hope could be the guy under center for many years to come. Malik Willis, Kenny Pickett, and Matt Corral are all potential early first-round options. However, if Carolina was to trade back, there is one prospect that Fitterer could be intrigued by late in the first round or in the second round.

That guy is Sam Howell.

For the last three seasons, Howell has been one of the best quarterbacks in not only the ACC but in college football overall. At one point during his collegiate career, he was considered a favorite to be a future No. 1 overall selection.

While Howell didn’t play to an elite level in 2021, he still showed plenty of flashes of the player many assumed would be a future franchise quarterback.

Could the former North Carolina standout be the Panthers’ future at the sport’s most valuable position? We take a look to see if that can be the case.