The debate surrounding who will be the top quarterback prospect in the 2022 NFL draft is already heating up, and North Carolina’s Sam Howell appears to be one of the leading candidates.
A highly touted recruit coming out of high school, Howell has lived up to the hype at the college level so far, and is already drawing comparisons to a recent No. 1 overall pick.
In his early scouting report on the Tar Hells signal-caller, NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah says he sees plenty of Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield in Howell’s game:
I wrote Mayfield’s name down in my notes after watching about 15 plays by Howell. They have the same build, similar arm strength (Howell’s is slightly stronger) and athletic ability (again, slight edge to Howell in this department). They both are ultra-competitive when they carry the football, and they bring juice/energy to their teams. Howell is a better deep-ball thrower, while Mayfield was a better decision-maker and didn’t force as many balls into coverage back when he was a prospect.
Jeremiah’s assessment is spot-on, as it doesn’t take much time with Howell’s tape to see the similarities between him and the former Oklahoma star. If he continues his current track of development, Howell could easily be next year’s top pick.
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