UNC Football: Sam Howell slides to Day 3 of NFL Draft

UNC football standout Sam Howell was one of the players impacted by the lack of quarterbacks taken early in this year’s NFL Draft.

Well, we’ll have to wait until day 3 of the NFL Draft to find out where former UNC football standout Sam Howell will begin his NFL career.

The first three rounds displayed a historically low amount of quarterbacks selected, as we had just one signal-caller selected between the first and second rounds. Other than Kenny Picket (who was selected in the first round by the Pittsburgh Steelers), the likes of Desmond Ridder, Malik Willis, Matt Corral had to wait until the third round to hear their name called.

Unfortunately, Howell was not among that small crop of quarterbacks taken, as he has slipped into at least the fourth round of the draft. The Indian Trail, North Carolina native, was rated by most analysts as a guy who would be selected somewhere between the end of the first round and some point during the second round of selections.

As the draft continues, the options for Howell start to dwindle. Pittsburgh, Atlanta, Carolina (his hometown team), and Tennessee have all selected their future signal-caller, which leaves just a few possible teams remaining in the mix.

If you take a look at the early part of the fourth round, there are a few teams that could make sense as a potential landing spot for Howell.

Right away, does Tampa Bay use the first pick of the fourth round to grab the quarterback they envision learning from (and eventually take over for) future Hall of Famer Tom Brady?

After the Buccaneers, maybe the Houston Texans (pick No. 2) or the Seattle Seahawks (pick No. 4) take a chance on the former Tar Heel quarterback?

If he continues to slide, maybe he ends up in the NFC East, as the Giants (who have two quarterbacks under contract but certainly don’t have their situation figured out) and the Washington Commanders could also be options.

Over in the NFC North, can the Minnesota Vikings factor into Howell’s future? Of course, you also have to throw in the “mystery team” component, as literally, anything is possible.

It’s disappointing to see Howell slide down the draft board, but it could be a good thing for him. Given that he wasn’t selected higher in the draft, the pressure to succeed right away will be lowered, as he’ll potentially land in a situation where he’ll have time to develop before being thrown into the fire.

Of course, from watching Howell during his time in Chapel Hill, we know he’s more than ready to take on whatever challenge lies ahead of him as he looks to begin his NFL career.

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