If he isn’t happy about falling to the sixth round, QB Will Howard sure is happy the Steelers drafted him. That is the opinion of NFL Draft expert Daniel Jeremiah, who picked Howard and Cam Ward as the quarterbacks happiest with their draft lot. Some thought the Ohio State slinger had a chance of going much earlier, and he admitted that the wait hurt. But you could see the thrill on his face when the Steelers called him and gave him the news.
“That’s a good opportunity for him”, Jeremiah told Rich Eisen of Will Howard landing with the Steelers. He referenced the current quarterback situation with Mason Rudolph at the top and Aaron Rodgers lurking, acknowledging both are temporary. “I don’t think you would say either one of those is gonna be the quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers two, three years from now. So there’s tremendous opportunity for him”.
Howard transferred to Ohio State in 2024 after playing three seasons for Kansas State. In his final college football season, he passed for 4,010 yards with 35 touchdowns to 10 interceptions. Notable was his staggering 73-percent completion percentage, which was a huge jump in his career. But the Steelers love players who step up in big moments, and his playoff run put the exclamation point on his evaluation.
During Ohio State’s four-game playoff run, Will Howard went 82-of-109 for 1,150 yards. He threw eight touchdowns to two interceptions, completing 75.2 percent of his passes. His best games came in the Rose Bowl and the national title game in wins over Oregon and Notre Dame.
As of now, Howard is one of three quarterbacks the Steelers have under contract alongside Rudolph and Skylar Thompson. He played with Thompson while at Kansas State, so there is some familiarity there. The entire quarterback room is new to Arthur Smith’s system, so there is an equal playing field there. In Pittsburgh, though, he should have the opportunity to sit back, absorb, and learn to begin his career.
“It’s kind of hometown team”, Jeremiah pointed out of Will Howard going to the Steelers, having grown up in Chester County in the eastern part of Pennsylvania. “I know he’s probably disappointed he didn’t go much higher than that, but that would’ve been the team I would’ve chosen for him in terms of where he fit best”.
While some might argue that the Steelers should start Will Howard over Mason Rudolph if Aaron Rodgers doesn’t sign, that’s not how they typically operate. And if they thought Howard would be ready to start this season, they wouldn’t have waited until the sixth round to draft him. But by the way the Steelers spoke about him, he is someone they feel they can develop.
Of course, the Steelers are probably looking to take a big swing on a quarterback in 2026. If that is the path they choose, then Will Howard is in no man’s land. The odds of him showing so much in 2025 that they would be swayed from drafting a quarterback high next year are exceedingly low. That’s why they pursued Aaron Rodgers in the first place. But if it’s true that talent wins out, and that Howard has that talent, you never know what might happen.
