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Sam Howell, Carson Strong's Top Landing Spots in 2022 NFL Draft
April 30, 2022
The 2022 NFL draft will not be one to remember for the quarterback position.
Pittsburgh's Kenny Pickett was the only one selected in the first round, and he didn't go until the 20th pick. There were no signal-callers chosen in the second round, and Cincinnati's Desmond Ridder, Liberty's Malik Willis and Ole Miss' Matt Corral all had to wait until the third round to hear their names called.
That leaves North Carolina's Sam Howell and Nevada's Carson Strong as possible Saturday options for teams such as the Seattle Seahawks, Detroit Lions and New York Giants, who could all use depth under center.
It should first be noted that Howell and Strong are both likely to start their careers as backups as they continue to fall in the draft.
The Seahawks, Lions and Giants all have presumed starters in place who could remain under center this year, but none of them are surefire long-term options. The incoming rookies could sit for a year and adjust to the NFL game before potentially taking over as they attempt to develop into franchise cornerstones.
Seattle notably traded Russell Wilson this offseason and seems ready to proceed with Drew Lock at quarterback for 2022.
The 2020 campaign was the only one Lock started more than five games since he was drafted in 2019, and he led the league with 15 interceptions as a member of the Denver Broncos in just 13 starts.
Detroit has Jared Goff, but he has a potential out in 2023 in his contract and was just 3-10-1 as a starter in 2021. That Matthew Stafford, who went to the Los Angeles Rams in the trade that brought Goff to the Lions, won the Super Bowl only served to amplify his struggles.
And the Giants may have the least long-term stability of all considering ESPN's Dianna Russini reported they declined Daniel Jones' fifth-year option on his rookie deal. The No. 6 overall pick of the 2019 NFL draft has struggled with consistency and has 21 touchdowns to 17 interceptions across the last two seasons after showing flashes of potential as a rookie with 24 touchdown passes to 12 picks.
At this point in the draft, quarterbacks like Howell and Strong are worth the risk for franchises that lack a long-term plan at the position.
Perhaps they'll quickly adjust to the NFL game and put some pressure on the incumbent starters. Or perhaps they'll sit for a year and then prove to be more consistent than their predecessors.
Whatever the case ends up being, the Seahawks, Lions and Giants are all candidates to draft them Saturday.