Sam Howell QB North Carolina: Scouting Report

Height: 6’0’’

Weight: 221

Overall

Sam Howell is a scrambling quarterback in North Carolina’s RPO/Balanced offense. In his 3 college seasons, he played in 37 games, starting in all of them. He has a strong lower body allowing him to fight through tackles and gain extra yards on designed quarterback runs. He is tough and showed very good leadership through his 3 seasons as a starter.

Pass Game

In the pass game, Howell played primarily in shotgun in an offense that used RPOs, play action, and pro style passing concepts. He does not use prototypical footwork rather he is consistently sifting his body weight ready to either take off or make an off balanced throw. He has experience reading the defense to find his open receivers. Under pressure, he can make tough throws before contact and has the athleticism to escape the rush and make plays on the move. He has a strong arm and is very consistent with his accuracy on all levels of the field. He has the velocity to complete short throws and the touch to complete passes over coverage linebackers as well as deep down the field. At times, he will leave the pocket too early when under pressure looking for space to run up rather than looking for receivers down the field. As whole, he is very accurate, makes good decisions, and is great at making plays both inside and outside of the pocket.

Run Game

In the run game, Howell is a strong, tough runner. He was used on many designed quarterback runs in college and showed the ability to break tackles and push forward to gain extra yards at the end of plays. His toughness and athletic ability result in great plays but he takes far too many unnecessary hits down the field due to his lack of sliding. His power and athleticism will allow him to be used as a running threat at the next level.

Last Word

Howell projects best in a pro style offense that also implements RPOs. He can make every throw needed at the next level and is also a strong runner with the ball in his hands. He is a true big-bodied dual threat quarterback and can be very successful in the right system. He is a “win with quarterback” with his high floor but with continued growth to his already great skill-set, he should be able to grow into a “win because of quarterback” very soon.

One Liner: With Howell’s consistent accuracy, toughness, and ability to make plays on the run, he will be a very good playmaker in the NFL and has the potential to be a very reliable starter early on in his career.

Grade: 6.7 (Solid Starting Quarterback)

Games Watched: 2021 – Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Miami, Senior Bowl

Team Fits: Pittsburgh Steelers, New Orleans Saints, Denver Broncos