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The Pittsburgh Steelers entered the 2025 NFL Draft looking for a quarterback. Mike Tomlin and Pittsburgh continue to wait for Aaron Rodgers' free agency decision, but they gave themselves another option. In the sixth round, the Steelers drafted Ohio State quarterback Will Howard.
Pittsburgh made waves when they passed on Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders with their first-round pick. While Rodgers is still thinking about his next move, the Steelers have gotten a bit impatient. They decided to end their wait, taking Howard, who led the Buckeyes to a national championship.
Howard isn't one of the top prospects, but Tomlin and Pittsburgh seemingly saw something in him they liked more than Sanders. The son of NFL legend Deion Sanders rubbed one NFL owner the wrong way, scaring teams away, including the Steelers. Regardless of why they passed on Sanders, Howard will enter the Steelers' building as the chief competition for Mason Rudolph's starting spot.
Howard enjoyed a stellar final season of his collegiate career in his first year with Ohio State. He joins the seven Buckeyes who heard their names called in the first two rounds, even though he had to wait longer than they did.
As a prospect, Howard is everything an NFL team could want physically. However, he comes up a bit short when it comes to the intangibles that teams look for from their quarterback.
If any head coach can instill the right traits into him, though, it's Tomlin.
The veteran head coach has led Pittsburgh extremely well since he got the job in 2007. Under his leadership, the team has yet to finish a season below .500. Unfortunately, the pressure on him to have more tangible success is increasing.
Bringing in Will Howard gives the Pittsburgh Steelers a quarterback to mold into a potential future leader. However, he could end up being a consolation prize if they are unable to sign Aaron Rodgers.
