Steelers' Most Underrated Selection In 2025 NFL Draft: Pittsburgh finds their next Charlie Batch on day three
Many were upset that the Pittsburgh Steelers waited until day three (the end of day three) to draft a quarterback. Unless you're Tom Brady, very rarely do we see sixth-rounders turn into viable starters in the league. And while that is unlikely to be the case with Will Howard, it doesn't mean he can't be […]
Many were upset that the Pittsburgh Steelers waited until day three (the end of day three) to draft a quarterback.
Unless you're Tom Brady, very rarely do we see sixth-rounders turn into viable starters in the league.
And while that is unlikely to be the case with Will Howard, it doesn't mean he can't be in Pittsburgh for over a decade…
Will Howard is Steelers' most underrated pick in the 2025 NFL Draft
Will Howard has "10-year NFL career" written all over him, but it's more likely to be as a backup than a starter. There are things you watch and appreciate about his game, including obvious high football intelligence, dual-threat ability, and textbook fundamentals. He's also incredibly tough both mentally and physically. He can lead a locker room.
And he has a championship pedigree now after transferring into OSU, getting buy-in from his teammates, and leading them to a national championship victory in just 12 months. However, he has very little to offer in terms of arm talent, and he played with the best offensive surroundings in the nation–not to mention with a former NFL head coach at offensive coordinator and Ryan Day as the head man.
He's a good player that I have no doubts will be a great guy to have in the quarterback room, but the starter upside may not be there with Will Howard…
And that's ok.
At the end of the day, it was a sixth-round pick. If you can find your backup quarterback of the future who is a fringe starter and keep him around for a decade, it's a win.
That projection for Will Howard is much more accurate in my opinion. He can be the quarterback three until Mason Rudolph moves on, and then when the Steelers find the future of the position in the 2026 or 2027 NFL Draft, now they will have their quarterback duo for a generation.
So the value of the pick is there, even if it's not the quarterback that many wanted. The truth is, Aaron Rodgers is a Pittsburgh Steeler, and the team didn't want to do anything to potentially upset that apple cart.
Will Howard won't upset that cart.
