National championship on your resume? That’s gotta help. And Will Howard, fresh off that natty run, is definitely feeling the love. After all, his college career closed out on the highest of notes possible. He straight-up smashed two Buckeye records—completion percentage and most completions in a row during a playoff game. However, as always, the QB competition is pretty intense in the 2025 NFL Draft. Now will he be able to survive the QB heat? While college football analysts come up with a shocking update, Howard might end up with the $10 billion NFL franchise.  

Howard did catch up on the NFL hype pretty late, but it’s going strong. It was only during the past year that he entered the pro league chat. Back then, he was not even a legitimate prospect. Even at Ohio State, there were doubts about him being the starter. But things have turned out better now. As per Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski, the QB is one of the biggest risers going into the Scouting Combine. As per the hush-hush, Howard could become an essential piece in the Pittsburgh Steelers replacing 10-time Pro Bowler Russell Wilson. In that case, the Ohio State QB will be taken in the third round with their No. 83 pick. However, according to Joel Klatt’s analysis, Howard falls under the top 5.

On his podcast, the analyst came up with  “Joel Klatt’s top 5 QBs in NFL Draft.” Shedeur Sanders got the top spot, Klatt put Cam Ward at No.2, then Jaxson Dart at No.3 and Jalen Milroe at No.4. For the No.5 position, Howard had to toughen up between Kyle McCord and Quinn Ewers. But the Ohio State QB’s size and running capability in the playoffs did win Klatt’s heart. He stated, “I’m going to go with Will Howard from Ohio State at No.5.” Does that mean he is different from four others who are ahead of him?

As the analyst stated, “With the caveat being that I don’t think it’s a clear-cut difference between him and those other four guys that I talked about. The clear-cut difference is between four and five and then two and three. So you’re going to have really three distinct tiers in this year’s NFL draft.” Now does that help Howard to be in the first pick?  

Will Howard’s growing appeal in the NFL

Back in early February, FanSided analyst Colton Edwards named the Dallas Cowboys as a potential fit for Howard. In that case, the Ohio State QB will likely be a second-round pick. Now that comes off as a big boost for the QB. After all, throughout the season, he had been hailed as a fourth- or fifth-round pick. Some had him even lower. Even with all the talk, this $10.1 billion franchise hype for Howard is still buzzing.

That Dallas collab is definitely intriguing. And you know they’re going to be laser-focused on those quarterback drills at the Combine. Jerry Jones pretty much said it: “You know, I think one of our goals is to get a young quarterback in the draft. I don’t know where that’s going to be.” He even pointed to the Trey Lance trade, saying, “That’s why we gave a [fourth-round pick] for Trey. It seems like all the quarterbacks, even guys we have in the fourth round, go in the first. They always go so much higher than what you think.” Now, remember, they don’t have that fourth-round pick anymore after the Mingo trade, but they’ve got those fifth-rounders and could always move up. So where does Will Howard fit into all of this?

He’d have a shot at being Dak Prescott’s main backup. Now this would mark a dream opportunity that would allow him to learn the game and work on himself under Prescott. Reportedly, the Cowboys are eyeing Howard as a potential fifth-round pick. As Klatt stated, “Howard would be able to compete to be Dak Prescott’s primary backup. He’s got great command of what’s going on.” However, he will have to fight competition with another former Buckeyes.

That’s none other than Kyle McCord, who was replaced by Howard after transferring to Syracuse for his senior season. Now, if not the Cowboys, what’s the other option? According to A to Z Sports’ Destin Adams’ pre-NFL Scouting Combine, the New York Jets might be opening their gates for Will Howard. The Buckeyes QB will be filling Aaron Rodgers’ shoes. Let’s see if the QB can keep the magic alive in the pros!