Will Howard

ANALYSIS
The Steelers waited until late in the draft to address quarterback but still ended up with a decent prospect in Howard. Before leading Ohio State to a national championship in 2024, Howard started parts of four seasons at Kansas State. He didn't have nearly the pass-catching talent at K-State that he had in Columbus, and that's borne out in the numbers -- Howard completed 58.8 percent of his passes at a 7.4 YPA clip. Howard was helped dramatically by the supporting cast at Ohio State and posted a 73 percent completion rate and 9.5 YPA while tossing 35 touchdowns in 16 games. Howard is a big (6-foot-4, 236 pounds) and athletic quarterback who can run. He doesn't possess elite arm talent but is a good processor and is poised. In a situation like Pittsburgh's with no established starter, it wouldn't be shocking for Howard to compete for a starting job. And as a fun aside, Howard actually competed for playing time with fellow Steeler Skylar Thompson while they were at Kansas State.

ANALYSIS
Howard's a mixed bag as a prospect, which is why he's projected to go in the middle rounds. On one hand, he completed 73 percent of his passes for 4,010 yards and 35 touchdowns while displaying excellent leadership skills to lead Ohio State to the National Championship in 2024. On the other hand, he had a pedestrian four years at Kansas State before then and may lack the physical tools to excel at the NFL level. The latter concern was magnified by Howard's poor showing at the NFL Scouting Combine, where he struggled on deeper throws.