If you asked the Pittsburgh Steelers what their favorite college football conference was in 2024, there’s a good chance they’d say the Big Ten. Pittsburgh used nearly all of its draft selections on players from the conference. Two of those came from Ohio State in QB Will Howard and EDGE Jack Sawyer.
Those two accomplished a lot together last season, helping the Buckeyes win the national championship. Entering an unsettled quarterback room in 2025, Howard brings that winning mentality with him, which is something Steelers linebacker Payton Wilson likes as he told Beanie Bishop Jr. in a video recently posted to Bishop’s YouTube channel.
“Yeah, you [Steelers] pick a quarterback a little later,” Wilson said. “But I like the idea of Will Howard. Will Howard comes from a winning culture, like they won a national championship, which I don’t think is very easy to do. Especially as like, the leader of that team, like only being there one year and seeing what he brought to that team was cool.”
As a quarterback, it’s hard to win a national championship without being a good leader. That’s exactly what Howard did last season, and it’s one of the reasons the Steelers are so excited to have him in their building. It wasn’t all great, as Howard and the Buckeyes suffered brutal losses to both Oregon and Michigan.
Yet, they were able to sneak into the College Football Playoff anyway, and that’s when Howard really turned things on. Ohio State beat Tennessee, demolished Oregon, and squeezed out wins against Texas and Notre Dame to win it all.
Now, Howard enters an interesting QB room in Pittsburgh, to say the least. Aaron Rodgers is expected to sign with the Steelers, but we’re nearly halfway through May, and there’s no commitment yet. If he doesn’t sign with Pittsburgh, Mason Rudolph would likely be the starter. However, it’s not hard to imagine how close Howard would be to playing meaningful snaps this year, if anything were to happen to Rudolph.
Howard’s earned some praise from Mike Tomlin, but there’s only a couple of rookie minicamp practices in the books. He’s not the only Ohio State alumni who brings that winning mentality to Pittsburgh, either. Jack Sawyer is another former Buckeye Wilson is high on.
“I met Jack Sawyer today, seems like he’s got a good edge to him,” Wilson said. “And he also comes from [Ohio State] too. You gotta love the picks when they’re coming from national championship teams.”
Sawyer is no stranger to big plays in big moments, either. During the semifinal against Texas in January, in a close game late in the fourth quarter, Sawyer came up with a huge strip-sack. He scooped up the loose ball and took it the house to ice the game.
It’s not clear how big of a role Sawyer will have in his rookie year. He should be in the rotation, though, and he gives Pittsburgh more depth on the edge. That’s an area where the Steelers have had some injuries in recent years. Sawyer and Wilson will have a chance to get to know each other much better, each playing in similar spots on the defense.
At the end of the day, neither Sawyer nor Howard was selected with high draft picks. Given that, neither should have the highest of expectations heading into their rookie season. However, both Howard and Sawyer know how to play well when the lights are the brightest. Those are invaluable qualities to have in the locker room, and something Wilson appreciates as well.
