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

Back before the 2021 season, the San Francisco 49ers made a big splash before the NFL draft, trading multiple first-round picks to move up to the No. 3 overall pick in the draft. With that pick, San Francisco chose QB Trey Lance out of North Dakota State. Lance, who is now entering his second season, was the backup in his first season to QB Jimmy Garoppolo. Garoppolo promptly led the Niners to the NFC Championship game. Going into this season, head coach Kyle Shanahan has made it clear that Trey Lance will be the starter. The elephant in the room though is that Garoppolo is still on the roster.

Garoppolo’s situation was murky due to a shoulder injury that prevented him from being cleared until mid-July. Now that he is cleared though, Garoppolo and the Niners have agreed to let the veteran quarterback seek a trade. Because it is so late, the available teams are scarce, but there is value to Garoppolo’s name. In 2021, he went 9-6 with 20 TD and 12 INT, throwing for 3,810 yards on a 68.3% CMP, a tick higher than his career average (67.7). Garoppolo is a proven winner, sporting a 33-14 record and a 4-2 record in the playoffs. With the Niners, he reached the Super Bowl once and the NFC Championship twice. The options are definitely limited, but here are three teams that can possibly trade for Garoppolo.

Seattle Seahawks

The first team, and probably the favorite, is the Seattle Seahawks. This offseason, Seattle traded QB Russell Wilson after a decade of constant success. Now, Seattle is in rebuild mode, with their quarterback room not being so glamorous. The two notable QB’s are Drew Lock and Geno Smith, who have not proven to be successful starters in the NFL. While Seattle is in rebuild mode, they do have some pieces to work with on the offensive side of the ball with WRs DK Metcalf, and Tyler Lockett, as well as rookie RB Kenneth Walker. They are the only team in the NFL that does not have the QB situation truly solved. Teams like Carolina and Pittsburgh have not chosen a starter yet, but they have true competition in their camps. The only fallback is that Seattle is in the same division as the 49ers. The question I ask though is if the Niners are so willing to move off Garoppolo, would it really matter if he was moved in the division?

New York Giants

While there was a report saying they were not going to trade for Garoppolo, the Giants seem like a really nice fit for both sides. As of today, Daniel Jones is the starter for the Giants, but their decision to decline his fourth-year option shows that the organization does not truly view him as the quarterback of the future. Bringing in Garoppolo gives you a solid option at QB with a growing roster around him. It also is not a long-term commitment, with Garoppolo playing on an expiring contract in 2022. Many do not view the Giants as a playoff team, but a lot of that has to do with the quarterback play. If you bring in Garoppolo, you might not make the playoffs, but you will be more competitive, or at least give Jones competition. If they were to go that route though, it would have to be extremely soon.

Cleveland Browns

After a long wait, Judge Sue Robinson came to a decision on QB Deshaun Watson. The ruling was for Watson to be suspended for six games. Up until August 4th, the NFLPA and NFL can appeal. With the Players Association already saying they will not appeal, the ball is now in the NFL’s court, and there’s a chance that the suspension becomes even longer. With all that being said, it would make a lot of sense to kick the tires on Jimmy Garoppolo if the suspension is for the entire season. QB Jacoby Brissett is listed to be the starter while Watson is suspended. Brissett is a proven and well-respected quarterback in the NFL, but probably is not a starter on a playoff team. The Browns have a loaded roster that is ready to win now, so why waste the year? Like the Giants, it would not be a long-term commitment with Garoppolo, so they would only have him for one year. Garoppolo makes you a legit playoff contender, especially with the roster in hand. If Watson’s suspension stays at six games, it would not be smart to trade for Garoppolo, but if it gets bumped to a full season, it will almost make too much sense.

Writer

-By: Richie Dordas

The old saying in the NFL, or sports in general, when it comes to contract situations is “this is the business side of things”. Whenever a big-time player is due for a contract, this phrase is almost guaranteed to be said. While it may not be the case all the time, the business side of things has come really apparent for two quarterbacks: Lamar Jackson and Kyler Murray. While both players have contract disputes or negotiations, both are extremely different in how they got there, specifically for the fact that they are not from the same draft class. Let us dive into each player and what to expect from these negotiations moving forward.

Kyler Murray

QB Kyler Murray is gearing up for his fourth season in the NFL (all with the Cardinals), coming off his first playoff appearance in year three. While making the playoffs, Murray had arguably his worst game as a pro, going 19/34 with 137 yards and two interceptions. The Cardinals lost in blowout fashion by a score of 34-11, while the Rams went on to win the Super Bowl. As the offseason went on, it seemed that Murray and his camp wanted an extension as early as March, which is incredibly early for anyone, let alone a player who has left something to be desired at the end of each season of his career. This led to criticism from multiple reports, stating his lack of leadership and maturity is what is keeping him from getting an extension, as well as other aspects, of course. His camp even posted a letter on Instagram in regard to why he deserves an extension. Nonetheless, it is a headache that has been caused and there have been no reports of any deal or negotiations happening at all. 

It has not been reported and we still have a long way to go until the start of the season while being around a month away from training camp. The tides can change quickly, but so far, it does not seem to be heading in that direction. On the field, Murray is as athletically gifted as they come, but struggles down the stretch in seasons have also caused the Cardinals brass to pause on giving him an extension as well. Murray has also missed time due to injury, including missing three games in 2021. Nothing is set and stone obviously, but I would imagine the Cardinals are going to let Murray play out the fourth season of his five eligible years with the fifth being an option, and see where it goes from there. There is no question that Murray is talented and is in one of those spots where it is tough to find someone better. At the same time though, if the Cardinals do not believe he is the guy to lead their squad, the contract situation will only get more difficult.

Lamar Jackson

While due for an extension as well, QB Lamar Jackson is in a completely different situation than Kyler Murray. From what is reported, the Ravens front office and coaching staff raves about Jackson’s leadership qualities and the maturity level he has shown in his four seasons so far. The biggest issue, if it is even that, is that Jackson is the one that wants to play out his fifth-year option and go from there. Usually, the teams are hesitant to sign, but this is a rare vice versa for this specific negotiation. It is well documented that Jackson does not have an agent either, which is unprecedented for recent memory as well. Jackson is taking the rare “betting on himself” route, which you rarely see in the NFL on a player's first contract, especially at the quarterback position. In other sports it has worked, such as Yankees RF Aaron Judge this year, who declined an extension before the start of the season and is now the favorite to win AL MVP through 70-plus games. Regardless, it is something we rarely see from NFL QB’s, and it does not make things easier for the Ravens.

Jackson has been excellent in his career so far, which includes an MVP in his second season, but 2021 left something to be desired. Jackson was injured for the majority of the season but was not at his best when he was on the field either. In the 12 games, he did play, Jackson scored a total of 18 touchdowns and 16 turnovers, leading to a passer rating of 87. I doubt this season will have any impact on what contract the Ravens offer Jackson, but the injuries might make them hesitate into giving him massive amounts of money. It is unprecedented for a “run-first” quarterback to get a big-time contract, but Jackson might be the first, and rightfully so. Outside of this season, Jackson has never been injured and the injury he suffered was a freak injury on a sack, not a big hit in the open field where he is most vulnerable. Jackson has also shown massive improvements in his passing game, which will also better help his case to get a hefty extension. It should be interesting how this plays out. How many teams will be in on Jackson since he will be a free agent? Can Baltimore convince him to sign one before the season starts? Jackson’s play on the field in 2022. will answer almost every question that you need to know.

Stats from profootballreference.com

-By: Richie Dordas