Former Tar Heel Sam Howell limited due to injury at NFL Scouting Combine

Former North Carolina quarterback Sam Howell won’t participate in testing at the NFL Scouting Combine, according to ESPN’s Tom Pelissero. The Tar Heels star will throw on Thursday night with other quarterbacks, however, a lingering calf “tweak” is limiting his mobility.

Despite missing out on testing this week in Indianapolis, the UNC Pro Day is coming up on March 28, so he’ll have another shot.

Along with a calf injury, Howell left the Senior Bowl with six of nine completions for 67 yards, as well as five carries for 29 yards. He posted the American team’s lone touchdown of the afternoon.

Last season for UNC, Howell threw for over 3,000 yards for the third-straight year under center in Chapel Hill. His yards and touchdowns were down significantly from the previous two years. However, he compensated by doubling his rushing totals in 2021 taking 183 carries for 828 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Todd McShay pigs perfect fit for Sam Howell

Todd McShay revealed his 2022 NFL Mock Draft 2.0 last week, and had North Carolina quarterback Sam Howell selected with the final pick in first round by the Detroit Lions. McShay had some high praise for his fourth quarterback off the board.

Despite determining that the QB postition in this year’s draft is relatively weak compared to other classes, McShay has four quarterbacks selected in the first round. Kenny Pickett (12 overall), Malik Willis (17), Matt Corral (18), and Howell (32) are the exceptions. Evidently, McShay believes teams will reach for the most important position in sports.

“Howell is interesting — Sam Howell, out of North Carolina — because he’s not that tall, just over 6-feet. But he’s big, he’s strong. He, like [Ole Miss quarterback Matt] Corral, is a competitive, tough runner. He has a big arm. He’s the best deep-ball thrower in this class. And I think a team like Detroit that’s so blue-collar and tough and built on that mentality, I think they could wind up falling in love with a guy like Howell because he’s everything that they embody. So, with that second first-round pick at No. 32 overall, that could be a good choice for the Lions. And, remember, you get to lock him in for a fifth year as a first-round draft pick.”

McShay’s fellow NFL Draft expert Mel Kiper added to the Howell hype as well.

“Sam Howell, to me, is a Baker Mayfield-type, but I think you look at the year he had — the inconsistencies with a result of the four players [North Carolina lost],” Kiper said. “They lost two running backs, two receivers, we knew there would be a drop off in terms of his numbers, but there were games where he still looked like a top-10, top-15 pick, others where, as Todd [McShay] said, second round. So, You’ve got to come up somewhere in between.”

On3’s Barkley Truax contributed to this report.