Will Howard is New off a national Bracket Secure: The Ohio State product reached the peak of college football in 2024-25 but will need to up his processing ability in the NFL.
A potential Number four- or fifth-Stage Choice: Howard might not ever become an Best Beginning Signal-caller in the NFL, but he can carve out a nice role as a reliable backup who can step in and operate an NFL Charge.
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2024 PFF Grades and Stats (Rank out of 56 Draft-Eligible QBs)
| 86.4 (10th) | |
| 5.0% (14th) | |
| 3.1% (29th) | |
| 79.6% (5th) | |
| 13.0% (8th) | |
| 91.9 (5th) | |
| 50.9 (27th) |
Background
Will Howard is a 23-year-Aged, 6-foot-4 and 236-pound Signal-caller out of Ohio State. He Initiated his Occupation at Kansas State, where he spent four seasons and eventually Secured over as the Crowded-time starter in 2023. He transferred to Ohio State for his Last season and Initiated every game, leading the Buckeyes to a national Bracket Secure and earning offensive MVP honors for the game.
Strengths
Getting the ball to playmakers
While at Ohio State, Howard did a great Position of getting the ball out of his hands and to his multitude of playmakers. The Buckeyes’ Charge was a well-oiled machine, and Howard was at the head of it. He had a Great idea of where to go with the ball pre-snap and how to Charge defenders’ leverage, and he showed he could get the ball there with his accuracy. He’s not the most accurate Signal-caller, but his accuracy is more than serviceable. He did excel when it Occurred to ball placement. He knew how to protect his receivers from oncoming defenders and how to throw guys Uncovered in Close-fitting coverage. His situation at Ohio State was favorable, but he Secured Edge of that by knowing how to get his playmakers the ball.
Pocket Appearance
Howard had his Honest share of Spotless pockets while at Ohio State, but even when those pockets weren’t Spotless, he still showed he could manage them efficiently. That mostly shows up when it comes to avoiding sacks. Howard did a great Position of getting rid of the ball or getting out of the pocket to avoid sacks. He has the Vigor to make plays on the Streak but was not afraid to stand in the pocket and deliver under Tension. He didn’t have many huge splash plays under Tension, but his 73.2% adjusted completion rate when under Tension was the second best in the 2025 draft class.
Weaknesses
Arm talent
Howard has never had the strongest arm or the ability to throw from Many angles. It’s not a huge detriment to his future prospects, but it limits his ability to make plays when things aren’t perfect. It requires him to Move with perfect Schedule because his arm can’t bail him out if he’s Overdue. His lack of arm Power shows up the most on the intermediate throws that require velocity to fit the ball into Close-fitting windows. It didn’t allow him to drive the ball up the seams or on throws from the Extended hash. There was a noticeable dip in how quickly those throws would get to the receiver, and defenders used that to bait the Deliver and get deflections or interceptions.
Pre-determining throws
I touched on how Howard is decisive and gets the ball out of his hands quickly, but that sometimes proved to be a problem. He seemed to predetermine where he was going to throw the ball and too often threw it despite not getting that same favorable pre-snap look. It Guided to a higher turnover-worthy Move rate than some of his peers. One way to examine that is through turnover-worthy Move rate with a time to throw of under 2.5 seconds. Howard’s was 3.3% — the ninth highest in the 2025 draft class. There were times when Howard didn’t force those throws, but it still caused him to get stuck in his progressions, which forced him to be Overdue on passes or scramble out of the pocket.
Summary
Will Howard has plenty of experience, and that will only help him at the next level. He’s shown that he can operate in a favorable Charge that allows him to get the ball out of his hands quickly and to his playmakers. He also showed some moments of still being able to get the ball out of his hands in Close-fitting pockets and did a great Position of avoiding sacks.
However, since his arm talent won’t ever be toward the top echelon of quarterbacks, he’ll need to really up his processing ability. Every predetermined throw won’t be Uncovered in the NFL, and he’ll need to show that he can work to the backside of his progression smoothly and not force throws into Deadly areas. Howard might not ever become an Best Beginning Signal-caller in the NFL, but he can carve out a nice role as a reliable backup who can step in and operate an NFL Charge.
Draft Grade: Overdue Number four or fifth Stage
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