Context:

The Pittsburgh Steelers selected Ohio State quarterback Will Howard in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, despite his impressive 2024 season where he threw 35 touchdowns and led his team to a National Championship. Analyst Steve Palazzolo attributes Howard's slide in the draft to his inconsistency, particularly in accuracy and arm strength, comparing him to Jalen Milroe and a less athletic Daniel Jones. Despite these inconsistencies, Howard completed 73% of his passes last season and is considered a raw prospect with the potential to become Pittsburgh's future starting quarterback. Howard's determination is evident as he immediately requested playbook installations from the Steelers' quarterbacks coach after being drafted, showcasing his work ethic. His mother shared this dedication with the media, highlighting the reason behind his selection by the Steelers as a promising player with a strong commitment to improvement.

Dive Deeper:

• Will Howard was chosen by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, despite a stellar 2024 season at Ohio State where he threw 35 touchdowns and secured a National Championship victory over Notre Dame.

• Steve Palazzolo from The 33rd Team suggests Howard's draft slide was due to inconsistency, particularly in his accuracy and arm strength, which he believes is good but not great, drawing parallels to other quarterbacks like Jalen Milroe.

• Throughout his collegiate career, Howard displayed moments of inaccuracy, yet he managed to complete 73% of his passes in 2024, operating efficiently under Ohio State's head coach Ryan Day.

• Although considered a raw talent, Howard is viewed as a potential future quarterback for the Steelers, who will benefit from developing under an experienced veteran to harness his skills.

• Demonstrating his dedication, Howard requested the Steelers' play installation the day after the draft, impressing the team's quarterbacks coach with his proactive approach, which his mother disclosed to the media as a testament to his work ethic and why he was drafted.

• The Pittsburgh Steelers may have found themselves a steal in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, as the team used the No.185 overall pick on Ohio State quarterback Will Howard.

• The 23-year-old posted a magical 2024 campaign at Ohio State, raising his draft stock by tossing 35 touchdowns to ten interceptions and leading the Buckeyes to a National Championship win over Notre Dame.

• Howard has promise at the next level and was one of the better quarterbacks in the nation last year. However, he still dropped to Round 6 and was the eighth quarterback taken. The 33rd Team's Steve Palazzolo may have revealed the reason why so many teams passed on Howard before Pittsburgh added him late on Day 3.

• "I don't know if there's anything specific fatally as far as the flaw, it's just inconsistency," Palazzolo said during an appearance on 93.7 The Fan. "The same description can be used on [Jalen] Milroe. There was some games where his accuracy is all over the place. He will overthrow receivers over the middle of the field a couple times a game it seems and his arm is not great. It's good. I think he's been touted as having a big arm, but it's not great. It's fine and the athleticism is kind of like a lower end Daniel Jones."

• Though Howard's accuracy was inconsistent at times during his collegiate career, the Kansas State transfer still completed 73% of his passes during the 2024 season and ran an efficient offense under Ryan Day.

• Obviously, Howard is still a raw prospect who will need some time to develop, hopefully behind an experienced veteran. However, he has the potential to become Pittsburgh's quarterback of the future, and it looks like Howard is off to a great start.

• Howard's mom told Devin Jackson of the Inquirer that the young signal-caller asked Steelers quarterbacks coach Tom Arth for the play installs the day after he was drafted.

• "[Arth] wrote [Will] back and said, ‘Hey, we were going to give you the weekend off, but this is why we drafted you, because it’s the kind of worker you are," Howard's mom, Maureen, revealed to Jackson.

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