Picture swinging for the fences on two outs and two strikes at the bottom of the 9th and hitting a home run. The 2024 season was always gearing up to be a pivotal year for QB Will Howard’s career in the sport. But when he chose to hit the portal and trade his relatively humble Kansas State surroundings for blueblood Ohio State, it upped the ante to 11. This was Howard’s one shot at prominence, one shot at securing a future in the NFL. Fast forward to the present day, and he’s facilitated a national championship with his fingerprints, quite literally, all over it. This was bound to reflect in his draft grading and general stock around the big league.

Of all the intricacies and wrinkles of Ohio State’s uber-dominant playoff run, Will Howard was the biggest benefactor. Conceded, he had the best receiving corps in the country at his disposal. But, by all accounts, Howard was slinging that pigskin at a really high clip. His accuracy numbers were off the charts. However, raw statistics aside, even the tale of the tape and general eye test suggest Howard may have taken a developmental leap down the stretch. It’s not out of the realm of possibility since transfer players do take time to settle in, and this was the best coaching staff Howard’s had. Now, does he have holes in his repertoire? Sure. But so do almost all of his quarterback contemporaries in this draft class. Which has made ESPN draftnik Field Yates go on a bit of a limb in his latest mock projections.

It’s thoroughly baked into the discourse around the draft. However, it remains worth reiterating that the competition Will Howard has within his position group is relatively weak. The reason? This QB class is nowhere near as good as the 2024 class. This is more like the 2022 class. Kenny Pickett was the first QB off the board this year. He is yet to win a starting gig. 

Field Yates has Howard down as the 4th one off the board. Being QB4 in this class bodes much differently from what it meant last year. But hey, it’s still a massive positive. That means Howard’s beaten out the likes of Tyler Shough, Quinn Ewers and Jalen Milroe. As per Yates’ projections and, by extension, his perception/intel, Howard gets drafted in round 2, 61st overall. But the team that currently holds that pick doesn’t snag him.

Field Yates predicted a trade between the Commanders and the Saints. He’s got the latter moving 10 spots up from #71 to get their first QB of the draft after picking EDGE Shemar Stewart in round 1 (9th overall). Winning the Will Howard sweepstakes, if that’s even a thing. To be fair, there’s a rationale behind this. It makes sense not only from the franchise’s perspective but it’ll be quite the dreamy scenario for Howard.

The New Orleans Saints have been yearning for a messiah ever since Drew Brees bid adieu. At least initially, they thought they had him with Derek Carr. As hyperbolic as that may sound with hindsight, cast your minds back to the beginning of the season. The Saints’ offense was humming, blowing out playoff teams like the Cowboys in their own backyard. Carr appeared to have hit a second wind in the twilight of his career, a renaissance, if you may. However, what happened the rest of the way wasn’t very artsy. Their 2-0 start of the blocks transpired into 7 losses in a row and led to HC Dennis Allen getting the proverbial boot. But this is all in the past now. Will Howard potentially walk into a new regime, and one that he really fits the bill for. 

Why the Saints and Will Howard presents as the perfect marriage for both parties

Saints’ new head coaching hire of Kellen Moore signals the beginning of a new era. It’s almost like clockwork that an offensive-minded coach’s arrival coincides with the team being touted to draft a QB. Except, the Saint really needs one regardless. Derek Carr is, with all due respect, over the hill now. While he’s still on the books and likely to continue as QB1 for at least one season, there’s a chance Will Howard—or anyone else they draft—gets thrust into the lineup in year 2.

Moore’s offensive scheming lines up rather well with Will Howard’s own play style. He runs some high-tempo stuff, getting the football out quickly. Something Howard found success doing in Chip Kelly’s offense at Ohio State. Which, actually, is also an NFL-style offense. With a year of honing his craft and learning the ropes behind a vet such as Carr, Moore can really mold Howard. He’s already his archetype of quarterback for the most part. Kellen Moore was OC for Philly last year, leading Jalen Hurts and co. to the chip. He sure understands the value a quarterback like Howard, who has championship-winning experience, brings to the table. From Will Howard’s POV, this marriage will be just as beneficial, if not more.

By being drafted to a franchise with an aging quarterback, there’s a real chance Howard gets his chance under the sun. Now, whether he makes it count is a separate argument. But merely having a viable shot at being the starter is as much as a Day 2 pick can bargain for. We saw that the current backup, Spencer Rattler, already got game time last season and failed to leave a mark. That experiment didn’t work because Rattler is quite raw. If Howard indeed gets a chance, he does present as a more plug-and-play kind of guy.

If the Saints are indeed drafting a QB in round 2, you’d have to think they see them as a potential starter down the line rather than a mere career backup. With all these facets a part of the equation, might one say this seems like a win/win scenario for both parties. There are still a lot of moving parts in this process, though. A few of Howard’s adversaries are climbing up draft boards as well. We’ll find out whether Field Yates’ projection remains hypothetical or becomes reality in about 3 weeks.