The Pittsburgh Steelers did indeed take a quarterback in the 2025 NFL Draft. It wasn’t anywhere near as high as some people predicted, nor was it the quarterback on everyone’s lips. But they did take Ohio State QB Will Howard in the sixth round.
The expectations for Howard will be somewhat low because of his draft position. But how does he fit into the Steelers’ quarterback room and offensive coordinator Arthur Smith’s scheme?
“That’s actually a good fit,” said analyst and senior producer at NFL Films Greg Cosell on Monday’s episode of the Ross Tucker Podcast. “You know you’re dealing with a guy that’s big. He’s got mobility. He has some arm strength limitations, but you know he can run a really well-schemed passing game when there’s a run-game element, which is what Arthur Smith, that’s his thing. I think he’s got poise. I think he’s got patience. I think he has a great sense of when to check it down, and that’s a big deal.”
No one will confuse Will Howard with Justin Fields as a runner, but he’s certainly got the ability to tuck the ball and run when the situation calls for it. While playing for Kansas State, Howard ran for 921 yards and 19 touchdowns. He did rush for another seven touchdowns at Ohio State last year, en route to the national championship.
So why did a championship-winning quarterback fall all the way to the sixth round? Especially one who completed 73 percent of his passes for 4,010 yards and 35 touchdowns? As Cosell noted, he doesn’t have the biggest of arms. As Steve Palazzolo said when discussing Howard falling to the sixth round, “It’s not great. It’s fine.”
But that lack of elite arm strength may be part of why he developed that sense of when to check it down, as Cosell calls it. While checking the ball down may not be sexy in terms of football, it can make a big difference when it comes to keeping a drive alive.
“With checkdowns, the guys who wait too long to check it down because they’re waiting for something to happen down the field and they’re slow to get to checkdowns. Then they check it down and the guy gets tackled for two yards,” Cosell said. “The guys who have a really good sense of when to check it down at the right time, they check it down and the back runs for 11 yards.”
With running backs like Jaylen Warren (7.0 career yards per catch), Kenneth Gainwell (7.1 career yards per catch), and even rookie Kaleb Johnson (8.3 yards per catch at Iowa), being able to get the ball in their hands at the right time to let them make moves in the open field is definitely an asset. Cosell thinks that is something Howard can do quite well.
Can Will Howard be the kind of quarterback who distributes the ball well to his weapons like an old-school NBA point guard? Maybe that is how he can succeed with the Steelers. Will he get the chance to showcase that as a rookie? That depends on whether Aaron Rodgers signs anytime soon. The longer Rodgers stays out of Pittsburgh (or if he even comes at all), the more chances Howard will have in front of the Steelers coaching staff to prove himself.
