Curious what you guys think of Sam Howell

The War Room Detroit Lions — The Den
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55 overall prospect in CBS Sports’ 2022 NFL Draft Prospect Rankings. … Despite the comparatively rough season, Howell still threw for 3,056 yards, 24 touchdowns and nine interceptions, and he also showed his chops as a runner by scampering for a career-high 828 yards and 11 scores on the ground.

He’s got a pretty good arm, has decent pocket awareness, and can run a bit. He has to work on his footwork but his tape is pretty impressive. If he in fact is available in the middle of the 2nd I wouldn’t have a problem with the Lions drafting him and developing him for a year. I know this may not go over well with some on this board, but he has a little Stafford in him… In a good way.

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The few times I watched him, he always tucked away and ran real quick. Maybe he wasn’t trusting his OLine. I really wanted to see more medium to deep throws from the pocket. Sideline darts. I accept it’s likely I only saw his bad games, cause he was never impressive to me.
Knowing that we’re coaching him at the senior bowl, I’m now accepting that he’ll likely be on our board. So I should do some more research.

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I watched a few of his games and came away unimpressed just didnt see all the hype.He is a solid college QB but I dont see him being a starter in the NFL.

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Curious as to what you didn’t like?

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I’d rather take Ridder.

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Ridder has some nice wheels but he seems a little too lanky for me. Seems like he would get hurt often. That might just be me.

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I see a more athletic Baker Mayfield which is fine but probably not an upgrade over Goff.

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I don’t see a QB in this draft that is an upgrade over Goff.

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I can see the argument with Pickett or Corral. But we’re not taking a QB at 2 and those two are likely gone in the first dozen picks.

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I’m a Howell fan but would only draft him later in the draft. Maybe the 4th round

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If we draft a QB in 3-4 rds then I would take a hard look at Zappe over Howell. I think there is more upside with Zappe.

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Here’s a mock from a guy I respect a lot that has him going 6th overall:

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Howell lost his dynamic RB duo of Javonte Williams and Micheal Carter. He also lost his top two WR’s in D. Brown and D. Newsome. As a result he himself didn’t look as good. He clearly took a step back.

For me that begs the question. Is he a guy who’s going to need a lot of talent around him to succeed? I think so.

Howell has some traits I look for in a starting caliber QB. But he’s missing some too.

Ultimately I think he’s a career backup to borderline starter in the NFL. He does have starter potential but I wouldn’t take him in round one. I do think that if he landed on the right team he could have some success. Personally he’s a bad fit for a talent devoid team like the Lions.

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I’m most intrigued by Bailey Zappe currently. Some of his fownfieldnthrows have a Joe Burrow vibe to them. Just uncanny ball placement. One off those tight window towers without classic tight window velocity. He’s obviously a very poor man’s Burrow but I see a couple overlapping traits.

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You mean he has no passes that exceed 45 air yards?

Sorry, had to do it, LOL.

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I personally think there isn’t a single QB in this draft class that will be an above average starter. This is like that one year with Brandon weeden and Jake locker

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You think we are devoid of talent on offense? Swift, Williams, Hock, ASB, Cepheus / Reynolds, a late first round WR, and a potential top 5 oline? I think that’s a great situation for any rookie QB to come into and not have to be pressed into immediate action. What else do you propose we need on offense?

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I was thinking of 2019 LSU Burrow. TBH I haven’t watched a lot of Bengals football.

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Depends on the situation. Like in the draft that @thats2 linked. Corral and Sean Payton. I think that dog will hunt.

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At least two starting caliber WR’s.

The Lions have one of the worst WR corps in the NFL.

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