For a team to draft a quarterback, they have to like the player and the person. For Arthur Smith, he’s all-in on what new QB Will Howard brings. Discussing the pick with the media after Howard became the Pittsburgh Steelers’ sixth-round selection, Smith praised what the team is getting on and off the field.
“Really impressive resume as I’ve gotten to know Will during this process,” Smith told the media via the team’s YouTube channel. “Obviously, he’s played a lot of big games. And when I got a chance to meet with him and spend some time with him at his Pro Day, just came away even more impressed at the person that Will Howard is.”
Along with Mike Tomlin, Arthur Smith made the trip to Columbus for the Buckeyes’ Pro Day and noted he had dinner with Howard, fourth-round pick Jack Sawyer, and other Buckeyes’ teammates. Pittsburgh was speculated to taking a quarterback earlier in the draft but focused on building up the team’s front seven before landing a quarterback in the sixth round. While Howard is a late Day Three selection, he’s strong value from draftniks, like us, who had him rated much higher than the 185th overall selection.
Transferring in from Kansas State, Howard immediately took over the Buckeyes’ starting job. A tall task and bright spotlight for a program with championship hopes. Howard bounced back from a tough start to the season, including an ugly loss to Michigan, and rallied Ohio State to a national title. Overcoming adversity is critical for any player but especially quarterbacks and Howard’s ability to bounce back endeared itself to Smith.
“You always wanna see how people respond to adversity,” Smith said. “Certainly in the stage in college football, he played on the biggest stage. You lose a game like that against Michigan and for those guys, it says a lot about Ryan Day and those players in that program…[Howard] played his best football at the end of the year. You see him in big moments, those critical possession downs, even in the national championship game. Momentum plays to kind of end the game. Extremely excited to work with Will.”
Howard sealed the national title win over Notre Dame, completing a long downfield throw to star WR Jeremiah Smith.
Howard finished the game 17-of-21 for 231 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions in a 34-23 victory.
No position is as mentally demanding as quarterback. Smith views Howard as ready for the NFL’s challenge.
“I just look back at his resume, the way he’s wired…Looking at Will, his maturity level, what he accomplished this year going from Kansas State and then stepping into that role at Ohio State and winning the national championship.”
Though no guarantee of success, Howard is smart on and off the field. With a high school GPA over 4.0 and SAT score in the 1,300’s, he was recruited by virtually every top Ivy League school: Harvard, Cornell, and Princeton among others. In college, he played in pro-style offenses that asked more of him, making calls and checks and actually utilizing a cadence instead of clapping the way many spread systems do.
Howard certainly isn’t guaranteed anything. He’s a sixth-round pick, and presuming Aaron Rodgers eventually signs, Howard will be competing for the No. 3 job. That won’t be easy. Arthur Smith and the Steelers are confident Howard has the mentality and the talent to thrive.
