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Evan Massey is a sports press reporter and expert situated in Indianapolis, Indiana who covers the NFL, NBA, MLB, WNBA, and college sports. He has actually been included on numerous publications, consisting of Athlon Sports, ESPN, Yahoo! Sports, Forbes, Bleacher Report, Sporting News, and numerous others. In his leisure time, Evan delights in spending quality time with his spouse and boy.
Evan Massey[19659003]Contributing Sports Writer
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The Pittsburgh Steelers decided to hand down a quarterback early on in the 2025 NFL draft. Regardless of having numerous chances to choose one, they chose to wait up until the 6th round, where they picked previous Ohio State Buckeyes standout quarterback Will Howard.
Howard had the ability to lead Ohio State on a wonderful championship game run in 2024. He began the season as a significant enigma and ended it as one of the factors the group made the run it did.
Going into the draft, Howard was among the more interesting potential customers to view. He has a great arm, however not an elite arm skill. No one can argue with the reality that he’s a tested winner and has actually constantly defied the expectations set for him.

Will Howard # 18 of the Ohio State Buckeyes tosses a pass in the very first quarter versus the Texas Longhorns throughout the Goodyear Cotton Bowl at AT&T Stadium
Picture by Jamie Squire/Getty Images
At this moment, the Steelers have simply 2 quarterbacks in their beginning competitors. Mason Rudolph and Howard are the 2 alternatives today. Aaron Rodgers might still sign eventually, however for now, Howard has a substantial chance ahead of him.
Find out more: Steelers Legend Ben Roethlisberger Changes Tune on Aaron Rodgers Situation
That being stated, one previous NFL quarterback has actually spoken up with ruthless criticism for the previous Buckeyes’star.
Chris Simmons shared his ideas on Howard in a current look on “Chris Simms Unbuttoned.” His viewpoint is not one that Pittsburgh fans or Howard will enjoy.
“Why isn’t Will Howard being talked about as a first-round or a second-round quarterback? I don’t know, because his arm is below average,” Simms stated. “He’s not incredibly accurate, and he’s not the greatest athlete in the world … it’s just the expectations.”
In action to Howard leading Ohio State to a championship game, Simms fired back and raised how great the group around him was.
“There’s a bunch of first-round players on the football team with him,” Simms stated. “[Howard] is getting the benefit of how awesome the team is there.”
Find out more: Browns Fire Massive Shot at Hated Rival Steelers
Throughout the course of the 2024 college football season, Howard finished 73.1 percent of his passes for 4,010 backyards, 35 goals, and 10 interceptions. He likewise got 226 backyards and scored 7 more goals on the ground.
Howard has actually dealt with doubts and criticism throughout his whole profession. Now, he’ll have a possibility to show Simms incorrect and make him reverse his viewpoint.
Undoubtedly, the Steelers are high up on the young quarterback. Ideally, he can show them right in the coming years.
For more on the Steelers, head on over to Newsweek Sports.
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