If the Steelers do their quarterback due diligence, Will Howard is a name they should come across this offseason. And connecting the dots, it’s possible they may pursue a Day-2 quarterback in the 2025 NFL Draft. While this might not look like a great quarterback class on paper, you can’t win the lottery without a ticket.
After the 2023 season, the Steelers completely turned over the quarterback room. While they saw better play from Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, they still finished 10-7 and lost in the first round of the playoffs. They are likely to re-sign one of the two, but being open to the right quarterback at the right time is only prudent. Could Howard be that right quarterback?
“Shocked might be a strong word, but I would be shocked if they would devote a No. 1 pick to a quarterback this year”, Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette sensed of the Steelers’ plans at the position on Steelers Nation Radio. “But I wouldn’t fall over if I saw a quarterback go in the third round, who they feel can be that guy behind Justin Fields, if you will. I will tell you that in the last three days, I heard Will Howard’s name as an intriguing guy both as a passer and a runner”.
Dulac then went off on a slight tangent talking about J.J. McCarthy and how Howard might be better. McCarthy was one of six quarterbacks to go early in the 2024 NFL Draft. This year, it’s very unlikely we will see six go in the first round. But like Jalen Hurts, a player like Will Howard could be some team’s answer later in the draft. And the Steelers certainly need one.
While Dulac didn’t explicitly say the Steelers are intrigued by Howard, it would hardly be surprising. Last season for Ohio State, he threw for 4,010 yards and 35 touchdowns while rushing for seven scores. He isn’t exactly a huge scrambler, but he has the desired mobility at the position. If the Steelers want to use more RPO, they could do it with him.
There is still a lot of time before the 2025 NFL Draft. But there is no guarantee Will Howard will be available for the Steelers in the third round. The quarterback position receives a value bump that inflates stock, and that’s especially true in a weaker crop. At least it usually is—except the last time the Steelers drafted a quarterback early.
Aside from Kenny Pickett, the last time the Steelers took a shot at a franchise quarterback was with Mason Rudolph in 2018. Though they drafted him in the third round, they graded him as a first-rounder. What kind of grade might they wind up putting on Will Howard?
The odds may not be great about the Steelers landing a franchise player in this draft class. If they can roll the dice on a guy with traits like Howard in the third round and put him in a position to develop, though, that’s hard to dispute. It’s better than potentially wasting a first-round pick on a prospect with a slightly higher floor but an unexceptional ceiling.
