Will Howard left a big exclamation point on his college career and one year at Ohio State as he led the Buckeyes to their first national championship since 2014.
Now his next stop is the NFL, and a new A to Z Sports mock draft gives Howard what he deserves after his impressive season: A chance to start as a rookie.
“The Jets are moving off Aaron Rodgers, and they need to figure out who their starter will be in 2025. The NFL is higher on Will Howard than I see people are. on social media. They likely would bring a vet in as well, so they don’t have to rush Howard on the field, but his tape from the College Football Playoffs looked like an NFL-ready QB to me.”
Before joining the Buckeyes, Howard wasn’t being viewed as a high-end NFL prospect. During his four years at Kansas State, his best season came in 2023, when he threw for 2,643 yards, 24 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions with a 61.3 completion %. He easily cleared those numbers in his lone season at Ohio State by throwing for 4,019 yards, 35 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions with a 73.0 completion %. And he led the Big 10 in passing yards, passing touchdowns, and completion %.
Some will argue that his one year of elite production doesn’t warrant being drafted in the second round, as this mock says. However, the 2025 NFL QB class isn’t great, so teams will have slim options at landing a potential pro starter outside of round one. Howard is one of the best options for that category. He also played arguably his best football when it mattered most, and he led the Buckeyes to a national championship. If you ask me, that should matter, and Howard will prove he belongs at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine next week. If the Jets do elect to draft Howard, he would get the chance to compete to be a starter as a rookie. And I think it is safe to say Ohio State fans everywhere will be rooting for him to get that opportunity no matter where he lands.