The wait was definitely worth it for Will Howard. Largely projected as a late Day 2 or early Day 3 pick, the former Ohio State quarterback wasn’t selected until the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft. While he wasn’t thrilled about that, Howard literally wept tears of joy after being drafted by the Steelers, the team he wanted to play for all along.
“It just fits with who I am as a person and as a player,” Howard said of the Steelers during the first day of Pittsburgh’s rookie minicamp. “I’ve got a lot of connections to Pittsburgh. Coach [Mike Tomlin], I’ve wanted to play for him. Coach [Tom Arth], he recruited me at Akron, and one of his players from John Carroll coached me at Ohio State last year. So I’ve got a lot of connection with him.
“Everything kind of fell into place,” Howard continued. “As the draft went on … you keep a little spot in your heart for where you really want to go, and I had a little soft spot for Pittsburgh. I was hoping in my heart that they pick me. On that ‘Hey Rookie’ show, they slowed a clip of me begging Pittsburgh to pick me just because, you know, it’s a long three days and you never know what’s gonna happen.
“I’m blessed, man. I could not be in a better place. Pittsburgh is gonna get my all, every single day.”
Howard’s initial weeks as a Steeler included a stop at Ben Roethlisberger’s house as a guest (along with former Ohio State teammate and fellow Pittsburgh rookie Jack Sawyer) on the former Steelers’ quarterback’s podcast.
During the show, it became evident that Roethlisberger and Howard have quite a bit in common outside of playing the same position. Both grew up having a passion for and playing basketball before coming to the conclusion that their best shot at becoming a professional athlete was on the gridiron.
Despite successful high school careers, neither quarterback was seriously pursued by the big in-state school. Roethlisberger, after being lightly recruited by Ohio State, ultimately went to and starred at Miami (Ohio) before being taken by the Steelers with the 11th overall pick in the 2004 draft. Howard dreamed of playing at Penn State (his dad’s alma mater and where his sister currently attends), but he ultimately chose Kansas State over Kansas (his only two legitimate offers) after Penn State went MIA after Howard suffered an injury during his junior year.
Howard had a solid career at Kansas State, but things didn’t really take off for him until his final year in college while playing at Ohio State. After a tough loss to Michigan at the end of the regular season, Howard and his teammates went off in the College Football Playoff. In four consecutive wins that culminated in a national championship, Howard completed 75.2% of his passes with eight touchdowns and just two picks.
After leading the Buckeyes to a national title, Howard is hoping to make the most of his opportunity with the Steelers, who are still holding out hope that Aaron Rodgers will sign with them at some point this offseason.
