{"id":14307,"date":"2025-05-01T04:35:07","date_gmt":"2025-05-01T04:35:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/14307\/"},"modified":"2025-05-01T04:35:07","modified_gmt":"2025-05-01T04:35:07","slug":"steelers-fans-forced-to-face-harsh-reality-about-will-howard","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/14307\/","title":{"rendered":"Steelers Fans Forced To Face Harsh Reality About Will Howard"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Pittsburgh Steelers<\/a> were the talk of the 2025 NFL Draft leading up<\/a> to it and during. That was on display every time the Steelers got on the clock, as fans and analysts speculated whether they\u2019d take a swing at one of the top quarterback prospects. Despite having multiple chances to do so, Pittsburgh never reached. They stuck to their plan and waited until the sixth round to take a flier on Will Howard<\/a>\u2014a move that made headlines not because of where he was picked, but because of who he is.<\/p>\n

\"Steelers'<\/p>\n

Jayne Kamin-Oncea \/ Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Steelers’ Will Howard runs the field during his time playing with the Buckeyes in college.<\/p>\n

Howard enters Pittsburgh<\/a> with more buzz than most sixth-round quarterbacks, largely due to his physical tools and high-upside potential. He boasts NFL size, a big arm, and starting experience in two Power Five programs. Those traits have many fans hopeful that the Steelers may have found a diamond in the rough. However, while his college resume and intangibles have stirred excitement, the reality is that he\u2019s far from a polished NFL-ready quarterback.<\/p>\n

Steelers insider Mark Kaboly<\/a> added a dose of reality to the hype on Wednesday, cautioning fans to pump the brakes on the Howard dream. According to Kaboly, Howard has a long developmental road ahead and shouldn\u2019t be viewed as the future of the franchise just yet. While the Steelers see potential, Kaboly noted that the team doesn’t expect him to compete for a starting role anytime soon. The hype may be real, but so are the growing pains that come with grooming a late-round project at quarterback.<\/p>\n

“Let me list some recent names of quarterbacks taken in the sixth round of the draft: Joe Milton, Devin Leary, Tanner McKee, Sam Ehlinger, Jake Luton, Gardner Minshew, Trace McSorley, Luke Falk, Tanner Lee, Brad Kaaya, Nate Sudfield, Jake Rudock, Brandon Allen, Jeff Driskel, Zach Mettenberger, David Fales, Keith Wenning, Tajh Boyd, Tony Pike, Rusty Smith \u2026 you get the point I am making,” Kaboly told Steelers fans. “Sure, he could be Brock Purdy, but odds say he will be more Chris Oladokun.”<\/p>\n

The list that Kaboly laid out was certainly sobering for Steelers fans, but the difference with Howard is clear\u2014none of those quarterbacks Kaboly mentioned were as dominant in college as Howard was during his breakout season.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Steelers<\/p>\n

Butch Dill \/ Associated Press<\/p>\n

Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2025 NFL Draft sixth-round selection and quarterback Will Howard prepares to throw a pass during the 2025 National Championship with Ohio State.<\/p>\n

In 2024, Howard revitalized the Ohio State Buckeyes, leading them back from two devastating losses and guiding them on a historic run through the College Football Playoff. His confidence never wavered, and neither did his team\u2019s belief in him. Without Howard under center, that magical postseason run likely never happens.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Steelers Believe They Got A Steal In QB Will Howard<\/p>\n

What attracted the Steelers most was how Howard\u2019s performance elevated under pressure. In the biggest moments\u2014especially during the playoff stretch\u2014he was poised, accurate, and remarkably efficient. Howard completed an impressive<\/a> 73.1% of his passes in 2024, throwing for 4,010 yards, 35 touchdowns, and just 10 interceptions. On top of his arm talent, he\u2019s a legitimate dual-threat quarterback with notable speed, giving the Steelers something they\u2019ve lacked at the position for years.<\/p>\n

\"Steelers'<\/p>\n

Sporting News<\/p>\n

Steelers’ 2025 NFL Draft sixth-round pick quarterback Will Howard celebrating during a game.<\/p>\n

Howard may have fallen to the sixth round, but he doesn\u2019t see himself as a late-round flier. He firmly believes NFL teams<\/a> made a mistake letting him slide, and he\u2019s eager to prove 31 teams wrong. Like Tom Brady\u2014another sixth-rounder with a chip on his shoulder\u2014Howard\u2019s self-belief is through the roof. While he won\u2019t be the starter anytime soon, many Steelers fans already see him as one of the draft\u2019s biggest steals. Most sixth-round picks arrive with minimal expectations. Howard is arriving with a spotlight.<\/p>\n

What do you think of the Steelers taking Howard in the sixth round? Let us know in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Pittsburgh Steelers were the talk of the 2025 NFL Draft leading up to it and during. That…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":14308,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[2644,7836,198,7,2394,5241,6,57,426,2395,1369,2183],"class_list":{"0":"post-14307","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nfl","8":"tag-brock-purdy","9":"tag-chris-oladokun","10":"tag-featured","11":"tag-football","12":"tag-forum","13":"tag-mark-kaboly","14":"tag-nfl","15":"tag-pittsburgh-steelers","16":"tag-steelers","17":"tag-steelers-news","18":"tag-tom-brady","19":"tag-will-howard"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/114430720260902327","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14307","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14307"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14307\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14308"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14307"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14307"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14307"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}