PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers decided against drafting a quarterback in the early rounds of the 2025 NFL Draft, passing on both Jaxson Dart and Shedeur Sanders in the early rounds before allowing Tyler Shough, Jalen Milroe, Dillon Gabriel, Sanders and Kyle McCord all get selected.
They would eventually land on National Champion quarterback Will Howard out of Ohio State late in the draft, selecting him with their sixth round selection on Day 3 of the draft.
Despite his relatively low hype going into the draft, the Steelers might thrust him into the starting position following a lack of signings in the free agent and draft areas of the offseason. If Aaron Rodgers does not eventually sign with the Steelers, it is likely they will go into the season with Howard, Mason Rudolph and Skylar Thompson as their quarterbacks.
That being said, Dalton Wasserman of Pro Football Focus is optimistic on the quarterback. Despite his low profile, Wasserman has him as the sixth quarterback in this draft based on team fit and overall quarterback play.
"Will Howard enters one of the more intriguing situations due to the uncertainty around Aaron Rodgers." Wasserman wrote. "If Rodgers signs with Pittsburgh, Howard becomes a developmental third-stringer behind the future Hall of Famer and Mason Rudolph. If Rodgers chooses not to play, Howard likely slots in as the backup to Rudolph and could be one play away from game action. The positive? He’s no stranger to high-pressure spots after leading Ohio State to a national title and earning a career-high 85.7 passing grade last season."
His high grade in college is impressive, but the defenses in the NFL are at a much higher level. The biggest concern doesn't seem to be his arm or his speed or anything of that sort, but his ability to elevate and adjust to the higher level of pressure.
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