Senior Bowl executive director: Sam Howell can put his talent on display

With the 2021 college football season in the books, collegiate players who have exhausted their eligibility and declared for the 2022 NFL Draft will have another chance to boost their stock on Saturday in the Reese’s Senior Bowl at Hancock Whitney Stadium in Mobile, Alabama.

Of the biggest names that’s participating in the Senior Bowl is former North Carolina quarterback Sam Howell, who put together a standout career with the Tar Heels. He’s coming off a 2021 season that included 3,056 passing yards and 24 touchdowns compared to nine interceptions, and 828 rushing yards with 11 more touchdowns.

Heading into Saturday’s game, Jim Nagy – the executive director of the Reese’s Senior Bowl – joined the Gramlich and Mac Lain podcast and went in-depth on Howell.

“In Sam’s case, I think everyone had Sam as a top-half of the first round quarterback going into the year and then you lose Javonte Williams, you lose Michael Carter, you lose Dazz Newsome, you lose Dyami Brown – those are four guys that are having an impact in the NFL right now, especially the two running backs,” Nagy said. “So, to not be able to turn around and hand the ball to those two guys, if affected him. I think it was a supporting cast thing. I think [Liberty quarterback] Malik Willis is kind of in that same boat this year.

“Sam had to do a lot on his own. I think we all know he’s a twitchy passer, he’s got a good arm and is a good downfield thrower. I think it’s a good thing this year that he got to show his athleticism. He took off a lot. He showed his legs, he showed his toughness when he took off. He took a lot of shots, but he proved his toughness, he proved his athleticism. Now, just coming down here with a bunch of NFL guys around him during the week, being protected – I think it’s a big week for Sam to show what it’s going to look like when he’s got a bunch of dudes around him.”

NFL scouts have one primary question about Howell entering Senior Bowl

Heading into Senior Bowl week, NFL.com’s Chase Goodbread spoke to three NFL scouts – two from the AFC and one from the NFC – and asked what the biggest questions were regarding the prospects participating in the game. 

The three scouts have one primary question about Sam Howell: “How will Sam Howell respond to adversity?”

Howell put together a standout career as North Carolina’s quarterback, throwing for 10,283 yards and 92 touchdowns while rushing for 1,009 yards and 17 more scores over his three years in Chapel Hill. While Howell has been a successful quarterback, scouts say that he “has a tendency to get flustered and press after a mistake,” so that will be an area scouts focus on while evaluating him at the Senior Bowl.