Tag: Will Howard

2025 NFL Draft Scouting Report: QB Will Howard, Ohio State

Will Howard is a National Champion with a shaky combine

Will Howard was a three-star recruit out of high school in Downingtown, Pennsylvania and was pursued by 20 colleges before signing with the Kansas State Wildcats. As a freshman, he stepped in to replace the injured Skylar Thompson. He returned to being Thompson’s backup again in 2021.

He was slated to be the starter in 2022, but Adrian Martinez transferred in and took the spot until he, too, was injured, allowing Howard to step back in as the starter to finish out the year. He finally became the full-time starter as a senior in 2023 and started 12 games. With the change in eligibility years after COVID, Howard used the transfer portal to spend his fifth and final collegiate season as the starter for Ohio State.

That move proved prudent. He led the Buckeyes to a 14-2 record and led the team to a National Championship where he was named the Offensive MVP. He racked up a total of 4,010 passing yards, threw for 35 touchdowns and rushed in seven more.

Height: 6-5
Weight: 236 pounds
40 time: 4.8 seconds (est.)

Howard isn’t just an athlete. He also earned a 3.94 GPA at Ohio State while pursuing a master’s degree in sports coaching. He enters the NFL with just one notable major college season, but it was winning a national championship and elevating his national profile in the process.

Will Howard Stats (2022-24)

Season Team Gms Cmp Att Cmp % Yds TD Int Rush Yds TD
2020 Kansas State 9 90 168 54% 1178 8 10 78 364 3
2021 Kansas State 6 30 55 55% 332 1 1 32 184 4
2022 Kansas State 7 119 199 60% 1633 15 4 35 22 3
2023 Kansas State 12 219 357 61% 2643 24 10 81 351 9
2024 Ohio State 16 309 423 73% 4010 35 10 105 226 7
Career 50 767 1202 64% 9796 83 35 331 1147 26

 Pros

  • Strong arm that can make any throw on the field
  • Prototypical height and weight that serves him in the pocket
  • Can buy more time to throw with his legs
  • Not a running quarterback, but a capable rusher with 26 rushing scores in college
  • Poised in the pocket and can beat a blitz
  • Accurate deep ball

Cons

  • May be more a product of the play caller than his own talent
  • Sometimes settled too early on his reads
  • Throwing mechanics need continue development
  • May suffer accuracy issues against faster NFL defenders and shrinking windows
  • Benefitted from playing inside a great offense for his only notable season

Fantasy Outlook

Howard was expected to likely be a Day 2 selection, but he may fall after a combine performance that was considered one of the worst. His throws were a disaster with most wildly inaccurate. He overthrew, underthrew and did the receivers no favors. Sure, he was throwing to those receivers for the first time, but it looked like the first time he had thrown to any receivers ever. He was one of the talking points from the entire combine, and not in a good way.

Where he drops in the draft is always hard to guess. He had one great season winning a national championship that naturally propelled him into prominence for the draft. But he only truly succeeded in college during his only season playing inside the best team in the NCAA. Was he the reason for the Buckeyes success or just the product fo everything around him?

His fantasy stock this year depends on where he ends up and their needs, but the expectation is that he’ll end up as he did in Kansas State, as the backup waiting for the starting quarterback to be injured.

The battle for QB3 in the 2025 NFL Draft is heating up

The battle for QB3 in the 2025 NFL Draft is heating up between Jaxson Dart, Jalen Milroe and others

It’s pretty well established that the top two quarterbacks in the 2025 NFL Draft will be Shedeur Sanders and Cam Ward. In which order they go and how quickly they come off the board is still up in the air, but Sanders and Ward are the consensus top two in seemingly every mock draft projection as well as quarterback big boards.

The battle for quarterback No. 3, however…

What was a fairly narrow race for QB3 behind Sanders and Ward appears blown wide open. Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, Jaxson Dart from Ole Miss, Ohio State’s Will Howard and perhaps even another interloper have all moved into consideration for the third spot on draft boards.

Milroe was the consensus leader until late in the season. Brutal outings in Alabama’s shocking loss to Oklahoma and bowl loss to Michigan hurt Milroe, and then a disastrous Senior Bowl week compounded the doubts. Milroe’s relatively poor ball placement and general inaccuracy on routine short and intermediate routes throughout the week in Mobile moved the confidence meter a lot lower on Milroe as the third quarterback.

Dart had a much more impressive Senior Bowl week, showing off a deep arm that wasn’t always evident at Ole Miss. However, questions still abound about the simplistic offense Dart operated in college and his ability to zip the ball when not given a clean pocket. He’s passed Milroe on many big boards and most of the post-Senior Bowl mock drafts, though there is still time for both to help themselves at the NFL Scouting Combine and interview circuit.

Howard wasn’t at a postseason all-star game, but that’s because he was busy leading Ohio State to the national championship. His outstanding accuracy and aggressiveness in attacking down the field kept getting better in his one season at Ohio State after four mixed-bag seasons at Kansas State. Howard earns praise for his command of a talented huddle and adapting behind a makeshift offensive line due to injuries.

It’s unlikely anyone else truly threatens to become QB3 in the 2025 NFL Draft, but prospects like Syracuse’s Kyle McCord, Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel and Riley Leonard from Notre Dame will wind up being higher on some teams’ draft boards (and media big boards) than others.

7-round Steelers mock draft comes up short for Pittsburgh

This is a good mock draft for the Steelers but this draft needs to be great.

Pro Football Focus is putting out a series of seven-round mock drafts for all 32 NFL teams. We decided to take a look at the Steelers edition and while we see where they were going with the picks, there was so much more that could have been done with the choices.

Here’s how the picks broke down:

First round: CB Azareye’h Thomas – Florida State

We like Thomas as a prospect but not in the first round. There’s a real possibility he does sneak into the bottom of the round but there are far more pressing needs to address here.

Second round: WR Xavier Restrepo – Miami

We don’t see enough from Restrepo to differentiate him from Roman Wilson as a player. The Steelers need a dynamic guy for the outside but if they want a guy to line up in the slot, he needs to be a bigger body.

Third round: DE Rylie Mills – Notre Dame

Defensive tackle is one of the team’s two biggest needs but Mills is more of an outside guy in the Steelers 3-4 and they need someone who can consistently line up inside and clog the middle against the run.

Fourth round: QB Will Howard – Ohio State

Howard in the fourth round is a great value pick here. If the Steelers re-sign Justin Fields, Howard is in a great spot to learn behind him.

Fifth round: RB Kalel Mullings – Michigan

Mullings is a plodding power back and while this is what the Steelers run game has been, it’s not where this run game needs to go in the future.

Seventh round: WR Efton Chism III – Eastern Washington

Chism is an interesting guy but if you spend a second on Restrepo, what are you going to do with Chism?

Seventh round: IOL Luke Newman – Michigan State

Solid interior player who would make for some nice depth if James Daniels leaves.

I know this sounds like none of the picks are good but that’s not true at all. This would be a well-received draft. And many of these players are very talented.

However, this draft has to be a home run. Starters, franchise guys and players who will be great which this draft is lacking at several positions.

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Steelers insider reveals ‘buzz’ around one particular QB in 2025 NFL draft class

Steelers insider revealed which quarterback Pittsburgh might be interested in taking a flyer on in the 2025 NFL draft.

The Senior Bowl is over, and every reporter in attendance returned with tidbits about the NFL beats they covered.

Nick Farabaugh, Pittsburgh Steelers insider for Penn Live, revealed which quarterback the team might be interested in taking a flyer on in April’s draft in Green Bay.

“I talked to enough people down there. They do not seem to be super interested in that [2025 quarterback class] crop.”

Farabaugh said he never saw any Steelers scouts — or Mike Tomlin — watching quarterbacks.

One name Farabaugh did drop that seemed to pique Pittsburgh’s interest is Ohio State’s Will Howard.

“I’ve heard some buzz around Will Howard. That’s the interesting name that, I think, is the midround target.”

As Steelers Nation painfully remembers, the last quarterback Pittsburgh took was Kenny Pickett at No. 20 overall in 2022. He’s now Jalen Hurts’ backup for the NFC Champion Philadelphia Eagles.

Like Pickett’s class, this group of quarterbacks is nothing to write home about.

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Will Howard didn’t come to USC, but he’ll forever be a Trojan hero

Will Howard prevented Notre Dame from winning the national championship. He helped USC after all.

13 months ago, it appeared highly likely that then-Kansas State quarterback Will Howard would transfer to USC. On3’s Pete Nakos even went as far as to log a USC prediction for Howard. With Caleb Williams off to the NFL, it appeared as though Lincoln Riley had found his quarterback for the 2024 season.

As we all know, however, plans can change in a heartbeat in college football. Williams opted out of the Holiday Bowl against Louisville, and backup Miller Moss lit up the Cardinals, throwing for 372 yards and six touchdowns. With Moss seemingly entrenching himself as the Trojans’ starter for 2024, Howard headed to Ohio State instead.

The move had a massive ripple effect, leaving fans wondering what might have been had things played out differently. While the Trojans struggled with Moss eventually losing the starting job towards the end of the season, Howard led the Buckeyes to the national championship.

But even though Howard never took a snap for the Trojans, he will always be a hero to USC fans. Because en route to the national title, he slayed three of the Trojans’ biggest foes.

Against Oregon in the Rose Bowl, Howard threw for 319 yards and three touchdowns in a 41-21 blowout win. The performance ensured that the Ducks’ remarkable run of having never won a national championship continued, much to the delight of USC fans.

In the Cotton Bowl, Howard threw for 289 yards and a touchdown, as the Buckeyes held off the Longhorns 28-14. Although it was not Howard’s best performance, it was enough to ensure that Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian—who had an ugly breakup with USC in 2015—did not win a title before the Trojans did.

Finally, in the national championship game, Howard and the Buckeyes went up against the Trojans’ greatest foe: Notre Dame. Behind Howard completing 17 of 21 passes for 231 yards and two touchdowns, Ohio State rolled to a 34-23 win, preventing the Irish from winning their first national championship since 1988.

Will Howard may have never even played a snap for USC. But he prevented three of their biggest foes from winning a national title. And for that, he will always be a Trojan hero.

Golf cart with Ohio State coach Ryan Day, QB Will Howard crashes into wall

Ryan Day and Will Howard were jolted on a golf-cart ride

The hardest hit Ohio State quarterback Will Howard took on Monday happened after the Buckeyes defeated Notre Dame, 34-23, for the national championship.

Howard and head coach Ryan Day were on a golf cart when the driver misjudged the turn and drove it straight into a wall.

Both Day and Howard were okay but quickly exited the golf cart.

The embarrassed driver apologized profusely but that was the end of her assignment as coach and QB chose to walk.

Day received congratulations from someone who used some salty language.

(Warning: NSFW language in video)

2025 NFL draft: CFP National Championship full of Steelers prospects

The Steelers could put together a great draft just from players in the CFP National Championship.

If you watched the CFP National Championship game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and Notre Dame Fighting Irish, you got to see some truly impressive talent, many of which are going to be in the 2025 NFL draft.

In fact, if you are the Pittsburgh Steelers, you could probably build the bulk of your 2025 draft out of players in this game. Here are the top prospects from the game the Steelers could target.

Ohio State

QB Will Howard (3rd round)

RB Quinshon Judkins (2nd round)

RB Tre’Veyon Henderson (3rd round)

WR Emeka Egbuks (1st round)

OT Josh Simmons (2nd round)

G Donovan Jackson (2nd round)

DT Tyleik Williams (1st/2nd round)

CB Denzel Burke (4th round)

 

Notre Dame

QB Riley Leonard (4th round)

DT Howard Cross (4th round)

DT Rylie Mills (4th round)

CB Benjamin Morrison (1st round)

S Xavier Watts (2nd round)

If the Steelers went with Egbuka in the first, Judkins in the second and Howard in the third, it would look quite unusual but would work to get the Steelers offense on track.

Notre Dame might not have the same caliber of players but we love safety Xavier Watts and his ability to play corner and safety would make him a great option for the Steelers as well.

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College Football Playoff names Ohio State players Offensive and Defensive MVPs

Players of the game! #GoBucks

It’s going to take a long time to clean up the confetti on the floor of Mercedes-Benz Stadium, but that’s not the concern of the Ohio State football program that just took home its ninth national championship after its 34-23 CFP National Championship Game win over Notre Dame on Monday night.

There were plenty of stars on the night wearing Scarlet and Gray, but only two can be named the Offensive and Defensive MVPs of the Game. On offense, quarterback Will Howard took home the award again after being named the Offensive MVP of the Cotton Bowl. Howard finished the game completing 17-of-21 passes for 231 yards and two touchdowns.  He also ran for a season-high 57 yards on a whopping 16 carries.

At one point, Howard completed 13-straight completions to set a College Football Playoff game record. The fact that he did it against one of the best defenses in the country and then sealed the game with a 56-yard completion to Jeremiah Smith on third and 11.

On defense, linebacker Cody Simon was honored. His play this season has continued to improve to where he’s become the leader of the defense as the middle linebacker. He registered eight tackles, including one tackle for loss as the quarterback of the defense.

Congrats to both, and congrats to Ohio State for getting up off the mat and forging through the fire together as brothers to take home a national championship.

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Notre Dame vs. Ohio State: Fourth-Quarter Analysis

So close, and yet, so far.

For a fleeting moment, Notre Dame still had a chance in the College Football Playoff title game. In a season where the amazing has happened repeatedly, why not one more such occurrence?

We’ll never know the events that occurred in another universe, but in this one, Ohio State is the national champion after beating the Irish, 34-23.

On the first play of the fourth quarter, Emeka Egbuka was on his way to a long reception, but [autotag]Drayk Bowen[/autotag] knocked the ball out of his clutches, and [autotag]Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa[/autotag] recovered it. Suddenly, the Irish had the ball in a 31-15 game.

[autotag]Riley Leonard[/autotag] completed a 30-yard pass to [autotag]Jaden Greathouse[/autotag], and a couple of defensive holding calls against the Buckeyes set the Irish up with a first-and-goal. Three plays went nowhere, and instead of going for it on fourth down like most teams in such a situation should, the Irish opted to send [autotag]Mitch Jeter[/autotag] out for a 27-yard field-goal attempt. The kick doinked off the left upright, and the chance for points off turnovers was gone.

The Irish’s defense then forced the first Buckeyes punt of the game, and the offense badly needed points to still have a chance. It got them when Leonard fired another 30-yard pass to Greathouse, this time with Greathouse making a great catch in the end zone. Leonard then flipped the ball to [autotag]Jordan Faison[/autotag], who fired to [autotag]Beaux Collins[/autotag] to complete the two-point conversion and make it a one-score game.

Again, the Irish placed the Buckeyes’ offense in a tough spot, third-and-11 to be exact at their own 34-yard line. But that’s when Will Howard decided to air it out and fire a 56-yard pass to an open Jeremiah Smith, who caught the ball before being stopped at the Irish’s 10. Any real hope the Irish had was snuffed out on a play that Buckeyes fans will reminisce about forever.

The Buckeyes ran the ball a few times, milked the clock, and the matter officially was put to rest with a Jayden Fielding 33-yard field goal with 26 seconds left. The Irish were left to wonder what could have been, and the party in Columbus was underway.

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Will Howard winked at the ESPN broadcast camera during a nearly-perfect CFP first half

Will Howard knew he was balling out.

Ohio State quarterback Will Howard absolutely balled out during the first half of Monday night’s College Football Playoff title game in Atlanta against Notre Dame.

The Buckeyes carried a 21-7 lead over the Fighting Irish at halftime, and Howard played a key role in that dominant performance.

The quarterback went 14-of-15 in the air with 144 yards and two touchdowns in two quarters. He also rushed for 26 yards to cap the stat line.

During the first half, the ESPN game camera actually caught Howard winking at the audience at home.

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He knew how well he was playing, and he wasn’t afraid to show a little personality once he knew the camera was on him.

Feature image courtesy of ESPN. 

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