January 21, 2025: Bringing the phone close to his ear, Will Howard listened to his late grandma’s voicemail one last time. As Nana’s words permeated the distance between heaven and earth to reach her grandson on his biggest day—the championship game vs Notre Dame—Howard felt himself calm down as the locker room reverberated with the thumping sounds of excited fans. It was as if time had slowed down—the only thing standing between him and glory? The four quarters. And, boy, did he make the day his own. However, despite such promising performances, the quarterback seems to have hit a heartbreaking curveball lately: One that could make or break his career, which was also confirmed by an insider…

But before we get to that, there were no doubts that Howard could handle the big stage. That was clear after his clutch performances against Oregon (319 yards and three passing touchdowns) and Texas (327 yards and four touchdowns). That was also clear when pushed the Ohio State Buckeyes all the way, putting on a clinic in the playoffs, and also clinching a national title in his only season with the Bucks. Throwing for 231 yards, rushing for 57 yards, with two touchdowns, an 80 perfect completion, and then also being named as the Offensive MVP on the championship game day, hopes were high that the youngster would make it to the big league with no problems.

He was, in fact, even being included in early Day 2 draft conversations; his stock rising with each postseason win. But in a matter of days, that momentum came to a screeching halt. Sadly, NFL Combine had other plans for him, and suddenly, the conversation around the budding quarterback flipped from his championship mettle to whether he could actually be a reliable pro quarterback. The throwing session in Indy was a nightmare scenario, where the CFB star airmailed passes, misfired on routes he should have hit in his sleep, and simply didn’t look the part of an early-round draft pick. While the Combine isn’t the end-all-be-all for quarterbacks, it was an undeniable gut punch for the player, with some fans even calling it the “worst” performance in combine history, to Shedeur Sanders’ dismay (which we’ll get to, later).

Even ESPN’s draft analyst Field Yates was blunt about Howard’s fate on ESPN College GameDay podcast, stating, “Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders opting against throwing at the combine, and it’s for that exact reason those guys are more gifted throwers than Will to be clear. They’re gonna go much higher in the draft than Will…He goes in the fifth round of the New Orleans Saints, so I say early day three for Will Howard.”

That’s a drastic fall for someone who had once flirted with second-round projections. Howard’s Pro Day suddenly became more than just a formality—it became a proving ground, the last real chance to shift the narrative before the draft. Yates wasn’t just critiquing Howard’s mechanics—he raised a question that many were too hesitant to ask: Was Howard’s success more about ex-OSU offensive coordinator Chip Kelly than Howard himself?

“When the puzzle was solved for Will, he put the ball where he needed to put the ball. When it wasn’t solved and when you had to ad lib or you kind of had to figure it out post snap, how did it look?…First impression might be a guy throwing the ball, you know, five yards over the receiver’s heads or missing the mark by a significant margin, saying to themselves, ‘You’re telling me this guy is going to go in the first round?'” Yates said. He went on to explain his skepticism, admitting, “I have maintained an early day three grade on Will throughout the process.”

But the most damning part came when he compared Howard’s season to a puzzle being solved. “The Oregon game when the puzzle is solved versus the Michigan game at the end of the season, when the puzzle was not solved. And it looks dramatically different.” Translation? When the offense was clicking, Will Howard looked like a high-level prospect. When things broke down, he wasn’t the one elevating the team. However, Will’s soon-to-be NFL colleague, Sheduer Sanders, wasn’t going to take the insult.

Soon after the community jumped on Howard’s case, with unfavorable comments, the former Colorado Buffaloes quarterback tweeted, “”I don’t understand y’all hating on @whoward_ he just won a natty. It’s hard to throw to WR’s that you don’t know, everyone run routes different!” Unfortunately, it didn’t seem to solve anything at all. Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport didn’t sugarcoat things either.

He pointed out that Howard’s struggles at the Combine weren’t just about one bad throwing session—they extended to the entire athletic testing process. “Howard’s run to a national championship featured multiple excellent performances in the College Football Playoff,” Davenport wrote. “But his outing at the Combine was just—bad. Howard passed on the 40, tested poorly in other athletic drills, and was one of the least accurate passers in throwing drills.” That’s the kind of performance that raises red flags. His stock took a dive, and now his Pro Day carries an entirely different weight.

Top Comment by Johnentgrp

If he has a coach who will use his strengths, , he can be great.

Share your take

Debate

“That pro day has become exponentially more important if Howard wants to be drafted as a top-five quarterback—let alone top three,” Davenport emphasized. In short, Howard is running out of time to change the perception that his title run was more about the system than his own ability. Of course, there’s an argument to be made that Combine performances don’t always translate to the field.

Tossing the rock in gym shorts to random receivers doesn’t simulate real football, nor does it account for Howard’s ability to make plays under pressure. Should he have looked better? Absolutely. But how much does it really matter? Few quarterbacks actually stand out in those conditions.

Brains and Brawn: Will Howard’s NFL Case Goes Beyond the Field

Will Howard isn’t just turning heads with his play—his academic resume is just as impressive as his football one. While his Combine performance had its ups and downs, he still has his Pro Day to make a final statement. But even if scouts nitpick his on-field showing, there’s one area where Howard has already dominated: the classroom.

The Ohio State passer is an Academic All-American candidate with a 3.94 GPA, all while working toward his master’s degree. That’s no small feat, especially for a player balancing the grind of Big Ten football with graduate-level coursework. And it’s not just a fun fact for the media—NFL teams are taking notice. In today’s league, mental processing is just as crucial as arm strength, and Howard’s football IQ could make waves.

“Will is one of the sharpest guys I’ve been around,” an NFL scout told Bleacher Report. “You see it in his decision-making, how he processes defenses. That kind of football IQ translates at the next level.” At 6’4” with a sharp mind and a chip on his shoulder, Howard is proving he’s more than just a strong arm—he’s got the brains to match.