NFL Draft Day 1 is in the books, and a quarterback was at the crux of the discourse in the fallout. But what wouldn’t the understated and, might I say, undermined Will Howard give to garner some mainstream attention. Howard and his proponents in Columbus knew heading into the night that his name wasn’t getting called by commish Roger Goodell. But let’s look at things in a vacuum. 6”5, 240lbs. A legitimate rushing threat out of the backfield who can move the sticks with his legs. The only national champion in this entire quarterback class. Why, again, was Ohio State’s Will Howard not deemed worthy of a first-round pick?
Everybody loves an underdog story. It’s in many ways the foundational pillar that keeps sports fandom ticking, gives it a pulse. One such story may have been overshadowed by the sheer magnitude of and pageantry around the vessel that facilitated it. Ohio State’s Natty triumph is no underdog story. This is a blueblood where HC Ryan Day did his best Nick Fury impression. Assimilated a group of Avengers, breaking a decade-long championship drought for the Buckeyes with their help. Quarterback Will Howard was no superhero, but he wasn’t a civilian either. That’s a guy who carried a chip on his shoulder through their run to the Natty, and he’s carrying it over as he ascends towards the NFL. But there is one guy awaiting him there who understands the full scope of his contributions. As well as his repertoire as a QB.
There’s been some lazy analysis around Will Howard. Conceded, he had the best receiving corps. in the country at his disposal. But to transfer over from Kansas State, knowing full well the expectations on the other end of the bargain, and deliver on them speaks volumes. Both a testament to his character and quality. Howard was key to OSU’s domination in the playoffs. You can have the best receivers, but you still need someone who can consistently find them. Howard elevated his game to meet the occasion, airing that pigskin at an unprecedented clip. His very last throw in scarlet and gray, a perfected weighted deep shot to Jeremiah Smith, was a microcosm of how far he’d come. Every facet of Howard’s game improved at OSU. Credit for which goes to his offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, now with the Las Vegas Raiders.
After Chip Kelly took the Raiders’ OC job, it instantly spawned reports and rumors alike about Will Howard joining him there. It makes a ton of sense. They’ve just traded for a veteran QB in Geno Smith. The franchise has a runway of a couple of years before it needs to find a successor. Hence, drafting Howard to learn the ropes behind Geno and potentially take over in the future will be shrewd. Reading the tea leaves suggests he’s trending towards being a Day 3 pick at best. So this even represents good value. Howard’s got experience in Chip Kelly’s offense already. He’s privy to NFL-style offenses and has shown he cannot just hang with one but thrive with it. The links to Coach Kelly, in tandem with empty chairs in the Raiders’ QB room, almost assuredly mean he’s coming off the board at some point. Not going undrafted.
The sheen reflecting off Jeremiah Smith, Emeka Egbuka and Carnell Tate makes it difficult to truly judge Howard. Plus, the sample size of him being an absolute phenom is rather small. Up until the playoffs, he was good but not as special. You can attribute that to the growing pains of learning a new system and building chemistry, but it is a question mark. But at the core of Will Howard’s attractiveness as a prospect, or lack thereof, is this. He’s been unable to prove he’s a force multiplier who improves the players around him. Howard’s viewed as a bus rider, rather than a bus driver. A trailer and not a truck. There’s a school of thought that he just rode the coattails of more talented players around him. These negatives have prevented Howard from being a top-end, round 1 QB. But he doesn’t concur with this assessment of him.
Will Howard’s message to the 32 NFL teams that have passed on him
The best litmus test of an athlete is how they deal with adversity. As cliched as that sounds, you gotta know how a boxer reacts when they get punched in the face. Will Howard’s dealt with his fair share. Transferring over from Kansas State to a program that needs you to glue together the most expensive roster assembled in College Football history brings a certain pressure. But when it’s THE Ohio State Buckeyes, that pressure escalates high enough for one to crumble under. Some would even say it’s comparable to what’s felt in the NFL. But Howard didn’t crumble under it, he conquered it. And he wants you to know there’s more coming in due course. Pre-draft, Howard made an appearance on NFL Films’ Hey Rookie series. During it, he’s questioned in a mock NFL interview setting around a straightforward premise:
“What makes you feel like we should draft you? Why Will Howard?” he was asked. Here’s his insightful reply on how he’s approaching the cynicism and doubters head-on. “I feel like my whole career, I’ve been overlooked,” said Howard. He implied that not receiving a scholarship offer from his local school, Penn State, changed his perception and sparked a change. He then said, “I was trying for years. [When] I went to Kansas State, I said, ‘I want to prove those people wrong. I hope Penn State looks back and says, Damn, we’ve missed out Will Howard’ When I get to the NFL, I don’t want you guys to miss out on me,” Will Howard even channeled his inner Josh Rosen. “Every single team that picks a quarterback in front of me, I’m going to make it my mission to make sure that they regret not picking me.”
Chip Kelly knows Will Howard better than anybody in the league, down to every individual. In some ways, Howard is a factor in why he’s back in the NFL now. Who knows if this would’ve happened if the Bucleyes still had Kyle McCord under center. That doesn’t mean Kelly owes Howard a solid and needs to reciprocate the help by drafting him. But there is a tangible need for the Raiders at the position. Minority owner Tom Brady, who’s got a say in football operations (duh!) has got to be willing to draft a QB. Especially with the kind of draft capital they’d need to part with. If Howard is available to them and the Raiders still draft an alternative QB, it’ll really say a lot. He’d hope that’s not how the chips fall in Green Bay over the next couple of days.
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