Steelers Select QB Will Howard in NFL Draft

The Pittsburgh Steelers are adding to their quarterback room in the 2025 NFL Draft. With the 185th selection, the black and gold have selected Ohio State passer Will Howard in the sixth round.

The Steelers moved throughout the NFL Draft with the expectation that they would be adding a quarterback. When was the question, but the team anticipated it would be in the middle to later rounds. After passing on the position for a defensive tackle and running back in rounds one and three, and then another defensive tackle in the fifth, they circled back in the sixth for Howard.

Howard and the Steelers remained close throughout the NFL Draft process. The two met during NFL Combine and then again at the Ohio state Pro Day, where they took him to dinner the night before.

Howard comes into the NFL as a player with unknown upside. At Ohio State, he won a National Championship and helped a dominate offense finish off a historic season. But it's a question whether or not he'll ever amount to being a starter as a pro due to his limitations athleticially.

"Howard brings outstanding size and toughness to the table. He showed good improvement over the last three seasons. He is more a vessel of the play-caller than a playmaking talent, though. He typically reads half the field and makes reasonable decisions with the football, using good mechanics and consistent accuracy," NFL.com wrote in his scouting report.

Still, the Steelers found their guy, and are moving forward with Howard as their rookie quarterback this season. He'll join Mason Rudolph, Skyler Thompson and potentially Aaron Rodgers in the quarterback room this season.