Saints: 5 college quarterbacks to keep an eye on in 2021 season

College Quarterbacks Saints Fans Should Watch – No. 2: Sam Howell

These last two quarterbacks on the list are only going to be realistic options for New Orleans if they tank in 2021. While fans obviously hope the team is competitive, landing Sam Howell or the No. 1 guy on the list wouldn’t be a bad consolation prize by any means.

Howell has had two outstanding seasons at North Carolina. In 2019, he made a bold statement to the college football world as to what kind of quarterback he’d be, tossing for 3,641 yards, 38 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. His sophomore season wasn’t as impressive but still pretty darn good with 3,586 yards, 30 touchdowns, and seven picks. He played in one less game in 2020 too.

Howell isn’t much of a runner but he did dash for 146 yards and five touchdowns this past season, proving he can take off with the pigskin if he needs to. He’s very much the kind of quarterback the Saints have grown accustomed to with Drew Brees under center for 15 years and would slide into that role quite nicely.

Howell has a solid chance of going No. 1 or No. 2 overall with another impressive season so it’ll take a lousy season from the Saints to have any shot at drafting him. That, or they’d have to trade a king’s ransom to move up far enough to select him and this is a team that wouldn’t have much to offer in a trade with that much magnitude.

Sam Howell would definitely be worth it though. Make sure you watch what he can do for the Tar Heels this fall.