An Early NFL Draft Scouting Report : Wake Forest QB Sam Hartman
To say that Wake Forest QB Sam Hartman is experienced is an understatement. He is in a rare position with the ability to play college football for 6 years. Coming into college prior to the Covid pandemic, Hartman has seen college football change tremendously. His experience is invaluable to the Wake Forest football team. With him being sidelined early in the year caused by a rare blood condition, Hartman has made his resurgence again in 2022 after a stellar 2021 season.
With this likely being Hartman’s final year before declaring, I have evaluated Hartman and provided an in-depth analysis of his overall game.
Player Information:
Name: Sam Hartman
School: Wake Forest
Position: Quarterback
Jersey #: #10
Alignment/Scheme: Gun, Spread RPO
Games Watched: Vs FSU, vs Clemson, vs Liberty
Major Factors: # Notes:
(Grading Scale: 9 - Special 8 - All-Pro 7.5 - Pro Bowler 7 - Good Starter 6.5 - Avg. Starter 6 - Good Backup 5.5 - Role Player 5 - Developmental)
Personal/Behavior: ? N/A
Athletic Ability: 6 Not very mobile or agile. Does not possess great speed. In 2021, he scored 11 rushing touchdowns in an RPO-heavy offense that allowed him to take advantage of aggressive defenses.
Strength & Explosion: 6 Arm is powerful with good touch on short throws.
Competes: 7 Solid competitor. Has helped a historically below-average Wake Forest program resurge over the past few seasons. In a game against powerhouse Clemson, Hartman scored 6 touchdowns for over 300 yards.
Production: 6 39 touchdowns in 2021, 21 so far in 2022. Over 11,000 career passing yards. Experienced Player, who has been on the team since 2018.
Mental/Learning: 7 Good decision-maker. Too many sacks. For the amount of passing attempts, he does not throw very many interceptions. (14 in 2021) (3 so far in 2022)
Injury History: 5 Has a rare condition called Paget-Schroetter Syndrome (ESPN) Blood Clot. Had surgery to have this treated.
Player Summary:
Report: Hartman is a good leader at the quarterback position that has had a long career in college. He has helped Wake Forest become a contender in the ACC. As a teammate, he is experienced, so he is very valuable to the coaching staff as an extra coach on the field.
Hartman has a powerful arm that can get the ball to almost anywhere on the field. His back-shoulder ability is elite. Hartman places the ball in spots that many quarterbacks cannot on a consistent basis. Does not underthrow or overthrow very many balls. Playing in an RPO system, he has to make quick decisions that require composure and he excels in this system. His release is extremely quick.
His awareness in the pocket leaves much room for improvement. He will often get collapsed in the pocket from not stepping up. The nature of the RPO offense often forces him to hold the ball longer than necessary and will not throw the ball away. He is not very good at extending plays. At 6’1’’, 208 lbs, he is not a tall quarterback, but as we have seen over time, height is not valued as much in spread systems. He is not very muscular, but he is not skinny.
Vs FSU - 22-34, 234 Yards, 2/0
Vs Clemson - 20-29, 337, 6/0
Vs Liberty - 26-44, 325 Yards , 3/2
Played in spread system by Dave Clawson and Warren Ruggerio
Pro Comparison: Devlin Hodges
Round/Grade: 3rd-4th Round
ITH Writer/COO
-By: LeMarkus Bailey