Quinn Ewers is a name that has probably seen everything in his college football days. From extreme highs to extreme lows, from disappointing injuries to career-best games. The Longhorns’ QB is something of a wildcard going into the NFL draft. No one can surely say where he will land. And no expert can even deny conclusively his capabilities on the field. So, what is this curious case of Quinn Ewers?

Ewers, after finishing 3 seasons with the Longhorns, decided to enter the NFL draft of 2025. No one could make a definite case for his successful pro-future. After all, he had turned down a NIL deal worth $8 Million and forego the transfer portal for NFL glories. The deal could have seen him make more than what he made in his three years at the Longhorns’ camp ($ 6 Million). It also could have provided him another season to hit his best in college football. So, now that he has entered the draft, there are more worries than excitement relating to his future. Here’s why.

CBS’ Danny Kannel painted quite a grim picture for the Longhorns QB. “I worry about two things. One is the top-tier arm strength. Two are injuries,” remarked Kanell. “Ewers did not finish any season from start to finish. I wonder how much those injuries impacted his arm strength. The deeper [throws] started to bloop a little bit, started to hang in”. His injuries hampered his career in more ways than many. For context, hear this.

He was a 5-star prospect when he came to High School, and over the years he played in college football, he more or less declined in his abilities. His 2023 season was marred by injuries when he had an AC joint sprain. The 2024 season also no improvement on his medical sheet as he went down with an injury in Week 3 and never quite recovered later in the season as he played many games through his Injury. So, considering his eventful medical history, it seems another QB in Will Howard has been touted to affect his draft stock. Here’s how.

Will Howard is someone who had a fairytale season in 2024. He led the Buckeyes to their national championship in a 12-team playoff. Doing that he also garnered a 73.1% pass completion rate for a massive 4,010 yards and had a QB rating of 89.6 (ranked 1st). Many could certainly argue that he was a one-season wonder with the Buckeyes and did not have that kind of seasons when he was with KSU previously. While that may be true, an insider recently provided a scenario where Howard’s toughness is coming out as a unique trademark.

Will Howard benefitting from Shedeur Sanders and Cam Ward’s potential NFL combine snub?

According to Damian Parson, who appeared on an episode of ‘Locked on NFL Draft,’ Howard may be willing to do things going into the NFL draft that other top QBs are reluctant to. ” That type of competitiveness that they (Shedeur Sanders and Cam Ward) have with their training with QBs. Select their QB coach, bring that to the NFL combine, go throw back to back and just go out there and Light It Up Jaxon Dart same thing, Will Howard I don’t want to see any of these quarterbacks duck the smoke, everybody come out here compete“. In all, he was talking about the upcoming NFL combine, where scouts assess players’ abilities through rigorous training and drills.

He and his host, Kieth Sanchez, were particularly concerned with players like Shedeur Sanders and Cam Ward not going to the NFL combine to protect their draft stock. “Shedeur and Cam (Ward) they’re probably not going to throw (in the NFL combine)  I mean it becomes one of those situations where they probably feel that they have too much to lose to not have everything scripted“. Shedeur and Cam Ward not throwing in the combine will certainly open opportunities for QBs like Will Howard and even Quinn Ewers, although his injury problems may be a big factor in determining his draft stock.

This is also a kind of reminder to all those analysts and scouts. A player underperforming over the course of his college football can see his fate turn by just one day in the NFL combine. So, it’s not always apt to pass judgments. We have already seen players like Josh Allen and CJ Stroud running havoc in the combine.