Free-Throw Shooting Aside, QB Sam Howell Could Offer Value

The North Carolina QB was once thought of as a potential top-5 pick

Roshambo is old news.

The Eagles, and the rest of the NFL, are back on the road and that means a better opportunity to gauge the competitiveness of potential draft prospects, something then-rookie coach Nick Sirianni famously did last year with some rock, paper, and scissors.

This time around Philadelphia checked a Pop-A-Shot, complete with a Villanova backboard, en route to Indianapolis, and North Carolina quarterback Sam Howell admitted he was asked to take a turn at the carnival staple while meeting with the Eagles.

The revelation came when Howell was asked the trademarked "most unusual question he received" at the combine.

"The Eagles, they had you shoot at a mini-hoop," Howell smiled before admitting to Ben Simmons-like futility. "I only made, like, two out of five. So, probably not high up on their board right now."

#UNC QB Sam Howell was asked if he’s had any strange questions from teams. No strange questions, but said the Eagles had him shoot a basketball on a mini hoop.

“I only made like 2 of 5, so I’m probably not high on their board right now” 😂 😂 pic.twitter.com/7q3oyexQbg

— Trevor Sikkema (@TampaBayTre) March 2, 2022

Later Tuesday, Sirianni took the podium inside the Indiana Convention Center and explained the method behind the madness to SI.com Eagles Today Ed Kracz.

"So last year I don't think everyone liked my rock, paper, scissors stuff," the coach laughed. "In all seriousness, if we can get in there and figure out a little of their competitiveness. If we can get a little sense of it, that's a plus."

Jokes aside, Howell is an interesting possibility at the QB position, considered by most as a potential bridge pick between the first and second rounds. In theory, that wouldn't put him play for the Eagles, who start the process with three first-round picks (Nos. 15, 16, and 19).

Everything is in play with that kind of draft capital, however, and Howie Roseman could maneuver up or down the draft board as needed to match evaluation with valuation.

MORE: COMBINE NOTEBOOK: Nick Sirianni's Mentor - Sports ...

Howell's draft stock took a bit of a hit in 2021 after UNC lost a number of dynamic offensive playmakers to the NFL, including running backs Javonte Williams and Michael Carter, and receivers Dyami Brown and Dazz Newsome, who were all starters last spring.

The offensive line was also banged up.

As a sophomore at UNC, Howell threw for 3,586 yards with a 68.1 completion percentage and 30 touchdowns against just seven interceptions for a gaudy 179.1 passer rating.  And that was coming off a 38-TD performance as a freshman leading many to earmark the North Carolina native as a potential No. 1 overall selection coming into the college season.

Without his NFL-level playmakers to lean on the completion percentage dipped by about six points for Howell and the TD-to-INT ratio fell to 24/9.

"His entire supporting cast left after the 2020 campaign and that had an impact on his production in 2021," former Eagles scout and current NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah said of Howell. "Overall, he has NFL-starter ability."

More so, you can marry that ability to a battle-tested resume that forced Howell to fight through adversity.

"I learned so much this past season, and that's why I wouldn't trade last season for anything," Howell said. "Obviously, it was a disappointing year for us. We didn't meet the expectations we had for ourselves. But I learned so much week-in, week-out. So many ups and downs, and it really challenged me from a leadership perspective just to always come in with a positive mindset.

"You know, everyone's kind of looking at me, so I always come in with an upbeat mentality."

MORE: Frank Reich: "I Stuck My Neck Out for Him Last Year"

The savvier talent evaluators around the league could now see more value in Howell, who is often compared to Cleveland's Baker Mayfield because of similar builds and arm talent. Howell, though, has far more ability when it comes to running the football and extending plays than Mayfield and the current Browns QB was a No. 1 overall pick in 2018.

The Eagles also met with Ole Miss QB Matt Corral at the combine so they are clearly doing their due diligence when it comes to potentially adding another prospect to the QB room at the NovaCare Complex.

Howell put his best foot forward which is not free-throw shooting.

"I think just my ability to lead and my ability to rally a team," he said. "I think that's one of my strengths as a quarterback, probably my main strength is my ability to rally a team and get a group of guys going. I'm just trying to show these teams how I did that at North Carolina."

The hoops, however, were just a means to an end.

"We'll do anything to figure out the answers to the test," said Sirianni.  "... "It is a good icebreaker. It does lower the guard of the player a little bit to know that we like to have fun. We like to compete and now let's get into the interview and more of that information of what we want from your love of the game, your knowledge of the game, etc."

-John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's EagleMaven and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John, alongside legendary sports-talk host Jody McDonald every morning from 8-10 on ‘Birds 365,” streaming live on both PhillyVoice.com and YouTube. John is also the host of his own show "Extending the Play" on AM1490 in South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen

Ed Kracz is the publisher of SI.com’s Eagle Maven and co-host of the Eagles Unfiltered Podcast. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles or www.eaglemaven.com and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.