Panthers 2022 draft scouting report: Sam Howell is a local favorite
Sam Howell scouting report
- Height: 6-foot-0.25
- Weight: 221 pounds
- Arm length: 31.125 inches
- Hand size: 9.125 inches
- 2021 PFF grade: 91.1
Sam Howell is one of the more underrated quarterback prospects in this draft class. Despite a down-year as a passer, statistically, he was still the same player we saw tear-up defenses in 2019 and 2020. However, his flaws were highlighted more than ever before.
Let’s take a look at some of the things Howell is good at starting with his arm talent. While he may not have an elite, the signal-caller showcases good velocity and distance with his throws and has shown the ability to make them at all levels of the field.
Howell is a generally accurate passer. He puts the ball where he wants it to go and shows consistent touch and overall ball placement. However, the prospect will have a few misfires per game. He’s also shown the ability to create plays out of a normal structure and from different platforms.
These misfires come from some instances of inconsistency with his lower-half mechanics. Overall, though, he displays good hip rotation and plenty of torque in his lower half, allowing him to stay aligned with targets downfield. Howell is clean with his upper half mechanics featuring a quick release and a nice, compact throwing motion.
Despite not top-flight athlete for the position, Howell added more value to his draft stock as a runner in 2021 with more than 800 yards on the ground and 11 scores. He displayed incredible toughness, vision, and balance when touting the rock.
While Howell was generally a good decision-maker with the football, his inconsistencies in this area were highlighted during the 2021 season, including the Tar Heels season-opener at Virginia Tech where he threw three interceptions. There were times when the signal-caller would get stuck on his pre-determined read, which got him into trouble.
North Carolina offensive coordinator Phil Longo installed plenty of binary reads in his offense. However, there were flashes of Howell’s ability to navigate and go through his progressions without much issue.
The biggest issue with Howell is his pocket awareness. His internal clock was late on far too many occasions and in those instances, he took a bad sack or turned the ball over.
With all of that being said, Howell’s film showed more good than bad and he did better with worse around him. Whether or not the Carolina Panthers target him as a potential trade-back option will be something to monitor over the next few weeks.