The Pittsburgh Steelers finally took their quarterback in the sixth round in Will Howard, and both sides agree that it was worth the wait. The Steelers addressed other needs, and Howard still landed in what he believes is the right spot. Not that many draft picks don’t say similar things, but he seemed pretty sure of it.
“It’s not about when, it’s where”, Will Howard told reporters following the Steelers’ sixth-round selection, via transcript. ”That was what I kept saying to myself. I had to trust in God and believe that he had a plan for me, and that the right team was going to pick me, and I think 100 percent the right team picked me”.
It helps that the Steelers were the team with the biggest need at quarterback when they drafted Will Howard. He was among the final five quarterbacks drafted, the later selections going to teams with established starters. The Steelers, of course, are still twiddling their thumbs hoping Aaron Rodgers picks them.
The Steelers met with Will Howard at multiple points along the pre-draft process. He came away impressed, particularly with HC Mike Tomlin, harboring hopes to play for him. He will now have that opportunity, though he will have to start from the bottom. Even without Rodgers, the Steelers have Mason Rudolph, at least, ahead of him. And Skylar Thompson does actually exist until that’s proven otherwise.
“I’m a Pennsylvania kid; it just makes a lot of sense. The Steelers, I feel like, is an organization that I’ve had a lot of respect for a lot of years”, Howard said. “Coming into this process, I was honestly hoping that the Steelers would take me, just because I felt like it was a great situation. I loved everybody in the organization”.
Though he begins from the bottom, Will Howard is “all-in” with the Steelers, aiming to start for them eventually. If Rodgers doesn’t sign before OTAs, the rookie should have a good opportunity to see some quality looks with the offense.
Even with Rudolph’s prior history with the Steelers, though, Howard might struggle to find snaps in training camp. Every quarterback in the room is new to Arthur Smith’s offense. It’s hard enough finding reps for the third-string quarterback, and he may start fourth. But the Steelers aren’t expecting him to play this year, surely; rather, they want him to watch and learn.
Some felt the Steelers made an egregious mistake by waiting on the quarterback position until Will Howard in the sixth round. Mel Kiper Jr. nearly gave spontaneous birth to his colon throwing a tantrum over it, but he liked Jimmy Clausen. Given the choice between Jaxson Dart in the first round or Howard in the sixth, I think most Steelers fans would take the latter option.
