Coming off of a College Football Playoff National Championship victory, Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard’s stock is currently riding high.
After spending four seasons at Kansas State, Howard made the jump over to the Buckeyes in the 2024 transfer portal. The move paid off for him, as he’s coming off of his best season yet heading into the 2025 NFL Draft.
Will Howard’s Draft Profile and Measurements
- Height: 6’4″
- Weight: 235 pounds
- Position: Quarterback
- School: Ohio State
- Current Year: Redshirt Senior
Scouting Report
Howard attended Downingtown High School in Downingtown, Pa.; a two-sport start in high school, he was both the Maxwell Football Club Pennsylvania Player of the Year in 2019 and a two-time All-Area basketball player. He was a three-star recruit, according to 247Sports, and committed to Kansas State, where he was an early enrollee.
For his first two seasons at Kansas State, Howard was the backup to now-NFL backup quarterback Skylar Thompson. Due to Thompson’s injuries, Howard started in 10 games between those first two years. His numbers weren’t pretty, as he threw a combined nine touchdown passes to 11 interceptions and fell short of a 55% completion percentage mark in both years. The Wildcats also went a combined 3-7 in games he started.
Entering 2022, Howard competed in a quarterback battle with current Jets practice squad QB Adrian Martinez for Kansas State’s starting spot. Though Martinez began the year as the starter, injuries thrust Howard’s backup into the starting lineup. The Wildcats excelled under Howard, going 4-1 while he scored 18 total touchdowns with just four interceptions. He threw for 1,633 passing yards with a 59.8% completion percentage.
Though, 2023 was the first year Howard was the unquestioned starter for K-State and his last, though undue to another presence in the Wildcats’ quarterback room. Rather, Howard gained attention for leading them to an 8-4 record with him as their starter. He ran for nine touchdowns and threw for 24, hitting 2,643 passing yards with a 61.3% completion percentage, earning a second-team All-Big 12 nomination.
Though Howard was clearly on the rise, questions followed when he initially transferred to Ohio State regarding whether he would be the quarterback to lead them to postseason success.
He silenced doubters pretty quickly, however. A third-team All-Big Ten member in 2024, Howard reached career highs with 4,010 passing yards, a 73.0% completion percentage, a 175.3 passer rating, and a 14-2 record as a starter. He capped off his strong season with a national championship, defeating Notre Dame and earning the Offensive MVP of the game for his efforts.
Strengths
- Well-built quarterback with a prototypical frame and the size that scouts can feel comfortable about at his position.
- Has a history of stepping up in big games and making plays.
- Strong-armed quarterback who generates good spin and velocity behind his spirals.
- Capable of hitting targets in tight windows due to his arm strength and the flashes he shows of impressive touch.
- Offers nice upper-body mechanics with a compact throwing motion and a quick release.
- Tough quarterback who can take a lick in the pocket with the frame to withstand the NFL defenders’ physicality.
- Downfield accuracy improved at Ohio State, which is encouraging when projecting his future development.
- Capable of delivering darts on the move and across his body, giving him range as a thrower that some quarterbacks don’t have the arm talent to reach.
- Started as more of a backyard quarterback but has progressed into becoming more comfortable as a traditional pocket passer.
- Capable athlete at quarterback with good ball-carrier vision and sneaky good speed for a bigger player at his position.
Weaknesses
- Low completion percentages and high turnover rates early in his career reflect questionable throws on tape.
- Bit of a one-read quarterback at this stage who isn’t comfortable making full-field reads consistently.
- Ability to look past his first target and go through his progressions will need to be improved.
- Tends to throw off his back foot too often, and while he’s gotten better at limiting it, skittish footwork can affect his accuracy.
- Benefitted from a QB-friendly offense that inflated his numbers at Ohio State.
Current Draft Projection And Summary
Throughout his time at Kansas State, Howard pretty clearly had an NFL-caliber frame and arm. Evaluators saw that on display in a more efficient manner at Ohio State.
Armed with a cannon and a compact release, Howard looks the part when you simply watch how he throws the ball. His improved accuracy down the field in 2024 is encouraging, as it allowed him to maximize what he brings to the table in terms of arm talent. From a team perspective, his growth from being a 3-7 starter through his first two years to a national champion is remarkable.
Even in 2024, though, Howard was prone to some of the questionable decision-making processes he showed earlier in his collegiate career. If he is to take the next step once he gets to the NFL, he’ll need to be more careful with the ball and be more precise going through his progressions.
Howard will certainly get drafted, and he has more physical upside than your typical Day 3 backup prospect. He feels like a worthy selection roughly in the range of Round 5, though, with the 2025 NFL Draft being a lighter quarterback class, don’t be surprised if someone takes a shot on him higher than that.
