Rookie minicamp is the first opportunity that all rookies (and a few veterans) have to work together ahead of the 2025 season. They don\u2019t get super into the weeds on installing schemes. They don\u2019t even have their helmets on full-time yet. But the coaches are still beginning to evaluate what they have in the young players. Mike Tomlin detailed what he looks for in rookie quarterbacks specifically, which would include sixth-round QB Will Howard.<\/p>\n
\u201cHuddle command, communication, the ability to regurgitate new information,\u201d Tomlin said in a clip posted by Steelers Live on X<\/a>. \u201cBy new information, I mean information that\u2019s new to them. And so I don\u2019t want to underscore how difficult it is to receive some of the verbiage from a play caller and have to regurgitate it to 10 others that are waiting for it.<\/p>\n \u201c\u2026The giving and receiving of information is a central component of leadership at the position.\u201d<\/p>\n The two quarterbacks in attendance at this event are Howard and former New Hampshire QB Seth Morgan, who is with the team on a tryout basis.<\/p>\n In some of the clips that have surfaced from practice, the quarterbacks aren\u2019t even throwing the ball yet in the team sessions. It is purely a mental exercise of receiving the snap and walking through progressions. This allows them to focus entirely on the receiving and disseminating of information.<\/p>\n Tomlin was asked specifically how Howard has looked given the list of expectations for quarterbacks he previously stated.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s doing great,\u201d Tomlin said. \u201cBut again, we\u2019re at the very beginning of it. I don\u2019t know that we\u2019re looking at it through that lens in terms of evaluating him. It\u2019s more about getting to know him.\u201d<\/p>\n The mental aspect of Howard\u2019s game is an area where he is likely to shine. His 94th-percentile SAT score speaks to how smart he is, and the fact that he went from transferring schools to winning the national championship is further proof. He had to pick up on a whole new set of lingo and play calls in an entirely different offensive system than K-State and lead his offense with it. There were growing pains, but he got better as the season went on and was excellent in the playoffs.<\/p>\n There is also further evidence of his ability to pick up on playbooks and lingo from his episode of Gruden\u2019s QB Class<\/a>. Gruden installed five different audibles for different defensive alignments and situations, and Howard was expected to remember which call was for which situation. He aced that exercise and effectively applied what he quickly learned for five minutes in the classroom.<\/p>\n