2025 NFL Draft Quarterback Scouting Report - Will Howard, Ohio State
Hey all,
Back with another edition of my 2025 NFL Draft QB Scouting Series! This week, I’ll be covering Ohio State quarterback, Will Howard. I have the full written eval below. If you want to check out the YouTube video for Howard, you can check it out with the link below:
Will Howard, Ohio State
Height: 6’4”; Weight: 235 pounds
Age on Draft Day: 23 years and 7 months
Class: Fifth-Year Senior
Overall Grade: 2.67/4 (May Have a Future Role)
2024 Stats:
Passing: 309/423 (73.1%); 4010 yards; 35 TDs; 10 INTs
Rushing: 105 carries; 226 yards; 7 TDs; 7 Fumbles
2024 Games Charted: Michigan, Oregon (1/1/25), Texas, Notre Dame
Totals from Games Charted:
Short Throw Accuracy on Platform: 43/62 (69.35%)
Short Throw Accuracy off Platform: 8/16 (50%)
Medium Throw Accuracy on Platform: 54/72 (75%)
Medium Throw Accuracy off Platform: 14/20 (70%)
Intermediate Throw Accuracy on Platform: 13/22 (59.02%)
Intermediate Accuracy off Platform: 2/6 (33.33%)
Deep Throw Accuracy on Platform: 9/18 (50%)
Deep Throw Accuracy off Platform: N/A
Left Side of Field Accuracy: 49/70 (70%)
Middle of Field Accuracy: 28/46 (60.87%)
Right Side of Field Accuracy: 66/100 (66%)
Total Accuracy: 143/216 (66.2%)
On Platform, Way Off Target Throws (Vertical/Horizontal): 7/7 (1.75/1.75 per game)
Off Platform, Way Off Target Throws (Vertical/Horizontal): 2/4 (0.5/1 per game)
Sacks/Fumbles: 5/1 (1.25/0.25 per game)
Deflections/Pass Interference: 3/3 (0.75/0.75 per game)
Throwaways/INTs/Dropped INTs: 3/3/3 (0.75/0.75/0.75 per game)
Drops: 4 (1 per game)
Designed Runs/Scrambles: 24/3 (6/0.75 per game)
Success vs Blitz: 13/20 (65%)
Success vs Pressure: 32/64 (50%)
Footwork: B
Pocket Presence: B-
“Playmaking”: C
Short Throw Accuracy: B-
Medium Throw Accuracy: A-
Intermediate Throw Accuracy: B-
Deep Throw Accuracy: B-
Throw on the Run: B
Success Against Pressure/Blitz: B-
Arm Strength: B-
Release: B
Ball Security: C
Top Starter Potential: C
Final Strengths:
Release
Pocket management skills
Understanding of how to keep offense on track
Still showing signs of improvements
Accuracy past the sticks
Final Areas of Improvement:
Questionable upside
A lot of staring when trying to make reads
Ball security
Ball placement
Accuracy on the move
Comp: Davis Mills
Will Howard took a chance transferring from Kansas State to Ohio State to not only try to win a national championship but also to show he’s a viable quarterback in the NFL. It doesn’t always work out this way but Howard managed to accomplish both this season. Back at Kansas State, it was clear he had good traits with solid, not great, arm strength that was borderline starter level in the NFL. Also, his release was always a strength of his with a quick, compact motion with minimal dip and appropriate depth to shoot the ball out quickly. While he won’t be outrunning defenders in the NFL, he also has always had good speed to pick up some yards on the ground and has the size to withstand hits. What really impressed me at Ohio State was the improvements he made with his footwork. It definitely isn’t perfect and does play a part in some of his accuracy issues which we’ll discuss later, but seeing an older prospect still show he can improve is encouraging. He improved his dropback and now has a good rhythm to it with minimal leg crossing. He also does a good job establishing appropriate depth to help his tackles set the pocket. In the pocket, he does a good job keeping his feet flat and has a good eye for passing windows. When the pocket does start to collapse, he can make veteran movements in the pocket without compromising his base. Also, while a lot of quarterbacks in this class have a bad tendency to trail in the pocket, Howard does a good job keeping his movement forward when pressure is closing in. When he does run out of time, he has a good understanding of where his outlet is despite being new to this offense to ensure a positive gain on most plays. Also, his quick release also gets him out of jams and lets him often get the ball out before pressure gets home. Finally, though I am a hard believer that QB wins are not a stat and shouldn’t overly impact a player’s draft outlook, I do have to give him credit for winning a national title with Ohio State in his first year on the team. Last year, I gave JJ McCarthy a lot of credit for knowing how to keep an offense on track to get to more manageable third downs and Howard did this in nearly every game which was a big reason Ohio State’s offense was so successful.
That being said, Howard didn’t win the national championship by himself, and Howard performing significantly worse at Kansas State without the immense talent around him does deserve some scrutiny. This wasn’t a case of Howard just having a good offensive line or one great receiver at Ohio State. Howard arguably had the best pass catching group, the best running back room, and one of the best offensive lines in the country along with one of the best defenses. So while Howard should get some credit for being so successful, I do believe there are a number of quarterbacks in this class who could have been just as, if not more successful than Howard if given the same opportunity. In his final season at Kansas State, Howard completed about 12% less of his passes and about 9% less if we go off of adjusted completion percentage per PFF compared to this season at Ohio State. Now, maybe Howard had that improvement thanks to the improvements I mentioned above. But, the ball placement was rough at times at Kansas State and still leaves some room for improvement at this time. His short throw accuracy especially was disappointing with too many instances where he had poor ball placement and didn’t give his pass catcher a chance to catch the ball in stride and pick up extra yards. Now we could use the excuse that those errors were due to a lack of chemistry with his new pass catcher group, but this was an issue even at the end of the season. Also, he had way too many way off throws with one of the highest totals of the class so far. Some may use the excuse that Howard was making sure the ball wasn’t in harm’s way and decided to aim high/far to keep it away from defenders but a lot of those throws didn’t have to be made as he had a clean pocket and could have just moved to another progression. Speaking of progressions, Howard gets way too content with locking his eyes on his first read and doesn’t always move through his progressions frequently enough. That was something defenses took advantage of in college and will do so more in the NFL when he isn’t surrounded by enough talent to mask this issue. In general, when he does have good protection and his first read is open, he can deliver the ball and get a positive gain. However, when that first read is taken away and he needs to go through his progressions, he can sometimes get a bit panicked and can sometimes get too bullish in his desire to attack a target which also leads to some unnecessary risks and turnovers. He also can get his eyes stuck downfield when trying to read the field and lose track of the pass rush. As I mentioned before, while Howard could pick up some yards in college, I see rushing being less of an asset for him in the NFL against better athletes as he’s a bit stiff in the hips and even clunky at times when he’s running. That stiffness also showed at times when he was a bit too slow to step up in the pocket and then was too overconfident in his legs and allowed an unnecessary sack. Also, while his release is good, it can get better as there were a number of times when it seemed like he let go of the ball too early and either led to a more difficult catch for his target or just missed his man. Also, I’m just not confident that he can routinely and effectively make side arm or diverse arm angle throws as these had variable success. Also, while his release is quick, his throws down the field and to the opposite side of the field often lack great velocity which is just another sign that his arm strength is lacking. Finally, while his footwork improved this season, there are still a lot of areas that need to be worked on before he’s ready to start an NFL game. In general, he’s more of an upper body passer since he doesn’t always give himself a good enough base as it’s often too narrow in both his dropback and in the pocket. His lower body is also a bit stiff and can be disjointed with timing when making throws and this is especially noticeable on the move when he really struggles to sync up his upper and lower body. That stiffness also shows when he tries to reset his base as he can have some trouble establishing it quickly and efficiently. Also, sometimes has a bad habit of throwing off of one leg without proper drive and hip twist that sometimes affect his deeper throws. Finally, he can really struggle to get his toes aligned with his target. For his way off throws that were near the line of scrimmage, they almost all had the same issue of Howard struggling to align his toes with his target leading to a poor throw. That same issue also led to a lot of his struggles in the short area of the field and he’ll need to work to more quickly establish his feet in the quick passing game if he wants to be given a chance in the NFL.
Will Howard can definitely help keep an offense on track but I have serious questions about how much he can truly elevate an offense. That type of thought is okay if we are looking at Howard as a backup quarterback but the national championship is starting to make people push that he should be a starter in the NFL. If he gets a good situation around him, maybe he could be a Brock Purdy type. However, I feel Purdy is an anomaly and a lofty hope for any quarterback without clear starting potential. Due to both being good backup quarterbacks and potentially fringe starters with the right supporting cast, I have Davis Mills as Will Howard’s comp. Like Howard, Mills has a compact release, quality footwork, and solid physical traits including a good, not great arm and a bit of mobility at his size. However, both struggle with ball placement and have a bad habit of staring which will get them in trouble in the NFL. Despite the staring, they both are also risk takers which also makes them a bit turnover prone and are a bit clunky in their movements limiting their ability to get out of a jam with their legs. Like Mills, Howard could have a front office fall in love with him or feel they’re getting a good value and target him with the goal of using him as a starter to see what happens. Unfortunately, like Mills, I think the team would become disappointed in Howard unless they have a strong supporting cast around him. So, I think the big thing for NFL teams and fans is to have realistic expectations with Howard. If you expect him to put up similar production as he did against Ohio State, you’ll likely be disappointed. However, if you look at him as someone who will be a very capable backup quarterback, you’ll be very pleased and your team will likely have a quality backup quarterback for the next few years.