The NFL combine at the end of February did not exactly go Will Howard's way. That much was obvious. Howard struggled to connect with receivers when he took the field to show evaluators what he could do, and while the notion that it's difficult to throw to unfamiliar players in a combine situation may have saved his reputation a bit, he still came out of Indianapolis with falling stock.
"He did not have a good combine," NFL insider Jordan Schultz said last week. "I thought going in that he was going to be a fifth rounder, somewhere in there, and then a team told me they had a fourth round grade on him. Now, I have not spoken to that team since he threw. It did not go well for him. That's no secret."
Howard enters the draft with something that no other quarterback on the board can say: He's won an FBS national championsihp, finishing his season by leading the Big Ten with 4,010 yards passing and 35 touchdowns, and a huge postseason stretch that saw him lead big wins over Tennessee, Oregon, Texas and Notre Dame.
But he has something else in his favor: Howard's offensive coordinator with the Buckeyes, Chip Kelly, is now the offensive coordinator for the Las Vegas Raiders. The NFL got a shake-up on Friday when the Raiders traded for veteran quarterback Geno Smith, and that move could trickle down to Howard.
Even with Smith--and incumbent Aidan O'Connell--in the fold, the Raiders could still take a flier on a rookie quarterback in the draft. And veteran draft analyst Todd McShay sees Howard as their guy.
Getting questions on Pick No. 6 fallout following Geno Smith trade…
-This move wouldn't prevent them from taking Shedeur but don't think that was in the cards regardless.
Also, Don't be surprised to see a couple things from LV on draft weekend:
-RB Jeanty at 6.
-And QB Will…
— Todd McShay (@McShay13) March 8, 2025
"Getting questions on Pick No. 6 fallout following Geno Smith trade… -This move wouldn't prevent them from taking Shedeur but don't think that was in the cards regardless. Also, Don't be surprised to see a couple things from LV on draft weekend: -RB Jeanty at 6," McShay wrote on Twitter/X. "And QB Will Howard reuniting with Chip Kelly as a Day 2 pick."
Related: Maxx Crosby Turns Heads With Emphatic Reaction to Geno Smith-Raiders Trade
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This story was originally published March 8, 2025 at 10:50 AM.