UNC Football: Sam Howell falls to bottom of first round in 2022 mock draft

The UNC football quarterback has fallen to the bottom of the first round in mock drafts following an underwhelming start to the 2021 season.

North Carolina got off to a bad start this season in a disappointing road loss to the Virginia Tech Hokies, and Sam Howell was among the Tar Heels that really struggled in Blacksburg. In the process, scouts and analysts seem to have lost faith in the junior quarterback’s future value in the NFL.

CBS Sports’ latest 2022 NFL mock draft has Howell falling to the bottom of the first round behind a pair of other quarterbacks — Nevada’s Carson Strong and Ole Miss’ Matt Corral — at No. 29 overall. He is, however, above former Heisman Trophy favorite and Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Spencer Rattler, and Liberty Flames signal-caller Malik Willis.

"“We’ll be honest, we don’t feel great about it,” CBS Sports’ Ryan Willson said of quarterbacks in the 2022 draft class. “We’ve said that Nevada’s Carson Strong is our QB1 and that will remain the case as long as his medicals are clean. We also really like Ole Miss’ Matt Corral, but he’s raw and he may need some time to transition to the NFL. After that, a lot of questions: Spencer Rattler, Sam Howell, Malik Willis — all build-in-the-lab QB prospects, all with legit questions that could see them last until Day 2.”"

Wilson also spoke specifically about Howell and his NFL Draft prospects, noting that the Tar Heel QB resembles a current NFL starter, though he’s got a long way to go before actually reaching that level.

"“If you squint your eyes, you can see Matthew Stafford in Sam Howell’s game, though the UNC QB has a long way to go to reach Stafford-level status,” Wilson writes. “But with two first-round picks, the Lions can gamble on a quarterback here, especially if they’re convinced he’s a franchise-type player.”"

Five games into the 2021 season, Howell has completed 95-of-153 (62.1 percent) passes for 1,494 yards and 14 touchdowns. He has thrown four interceptions on the season, including three in the Tar Heels’ season-opening loss to the Hokies, but still has a passing efficiency rating of 169.1. He’s thrown for at least 306 yards and two touchdowns in every game since, and has just one interception in his last 121 attempts.

Howell, of course, still has time to improve his draft stock over the next seven games. For the time being, though, he’s seen as a work-in-progress in a poor quarterback class that likely won’t start during his first year in the NFL.

Stick with Keeping It Heel for all the latest on Sam Howell, and the UNC football program.