UNC’s Sam Howell reminds everyone why he’ll be the No. 1 pick in the 2022 NFL Draft

Just like Trevor Lawrence in 2021, UNC’s Sam Howell is the certified No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.

Every year, there is one college football prospect that is picked by scouts and media pundits to be the top overall pick in the NFL Draft. In 2020, that player is Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence, who is destined to become the next great quarterback for the New York Jets or the Jacksonville Jaguars (if the Jets accidentally win a game this year) once he hears his name called at the start of the 2021 NFL Draft.

When this draft comes and goes this upcoming April, all eyes will be on the 2022 class. But who’s going to headline it, you ask? It’s North Carolina quarterback Sam Howell. And the sophomore signal-caller proved that on Saturday, during the Tar Heels’ 59-53 win over Wake Forest.

NFL teams will consider tanking for Sam Howell

Even though the contest was a back-and-forth duel between the Tar Heels and Demon Deacons, Howell stood out over fellow signal-caller Sam Hartman. During the game, Howell completed 32-of-45 pass attempts for a staggering 550 yards, six touchdowns and one interception. Howell now stands alone in Tar Heels history as being the only quarterback to throw for over 500 yards in a single game. The previous record belonged to Marquise Williams, who threw for 494 yards against Duke back in 2015.

Howell also joins some pretty elite company outside of Chapel Hill. With his performance against Wake Forest, Howell now has 13 games of recording over three touchdowns since the start of last season, which is tied alongside Lawrence and the No. 1 pick in last year’s draft, LSU great and current Cincinnati Bengal Joe Burrow.

https://twitter.com/tarheelfootball/status/1327727359345057792?s=21

The Tar Heels quarterback showed his potential from the second he stepped on the field at Kenan Memorial Stadium. As a true-freshman, Howell threw for 3,347 yards and 35 touchdowns, with the latter being an ACC and FBS record for most passing touchdowns by a true freshman. That very record was previously held by, you guessed it, Lawrence, who threw for 30 touchdowns in 2018.

In 2022, the quarterback draft class won’t be as heavy as it will this time around. Lawrence, Justin Fields, Trey Lance and Zach Wilson all have the potential of being first-round quarterbacks. Next year, Howell will be standing on a tier by himself (no disrespect intended to the other passers in the 2022 class). For those NFL teams looking for a succession plan for your aging quarterback or underperforming signal-caller, Howell could be your guy…if you lose enough games to clinch pick No. 1, that is.

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