Pittsburgh Steelers select Will Howard in sixth round of 2025 NFL Draft

Will Howard ended his five-year collegiate career this past fall with his best season as a championship-winning quarterback. Now, after that, he’s reached the next level with his selection in the 2025 NFL Draft — the Pittsburgh Steelers selected the quarterback with pick No. 185 in the sixth round.

Howard spent a half decade in college football with four seasons at Kansas State before his final one at Ohio State. He appeared in 50 games, 44 of those being starts, between the two programs in Manhattan and Columbus. In that time, Howard posted 63.8% completion for 9,796 yards, good for 195.9 per game, with 83 touchdowns and 35 interceptions. He also rushed for 1,147 yards and scored 27 more times with 26 of those being on the ground.

While at K-State, Howard earned spots in their record books throughout the top-ten in multiple statistics, including being their school’s all-time leader in passing touchdowns. That’s with him throwing for 5,786 yards, 48 touchdowns, and 25 picks on 58.8% completion, while also running for 921 yards and 19 touchdowns, for a Wildcat program that went 31-19, won a pair of bowl games, and won the 2022 Big 12 Championship.

However, with K-State going to Avery Johnson, Howard transferred, as one of the best quarterbacks in the portal, to Ohio State for his final season. That led to his best year in college where he completed 73% of his throws for 4,010 yards, 35 touchdowns, and 10 picks, while also rushing for 226 yards and seven more scores. That helped the Buckeyes to a 14-2 record in going on to win the national title in the College Football Playoff.

Howard, a native of Downingtown, Pennsylvania, was a three-star prospect in the 2020 cycle. He rated as a Top-75 QB in the class and the No. 10 player out of the state. That’s according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

Howard left college football as a national champion. He’ll now take that with him as the latest quarterback off the board in this draft.

What NFL Draft analysts are saying about Will Howard

NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein assessed Howard coming out of the NFL Combine, including a comparison for him to Blake Bortles. However, while noting some of his skillset, namely his size, physicality, and passing ability at the position, he also has concerns that the play and caliber of those around him with the Buckeyes will now expose him a bit when he’s without them at the next level, which is why he’s projecting him as a backup quarterback in the NFL.

“Howard brings outstanding size and toughness to the table. He showed good improvement over the last three seasons. He is more a vessel of the play-caller than a playmaking talent, though. He typically reads half the field and makes reasonable decisions with the football, using good mechanics and consistent accuracy,” Zierlein wrote. “He doesn’t hold defenders at bay with his eyes and lacks the arm strength to beat tight man coverage on second- and third-level throws. He showed good poise in 2024 to beat the blitz through the air and has always been able to escape pressure by making plays with his legs.”

“Howard is big, tough and accurate but benefited from superior talent at the skill positions at Ohio State. Unless he proves he can play chess against NFL defenses, he might not have enough in the tool box to become more than an average backup,” finished Zierlein.