Will Howard went from riches to rags within a year in Columbus. The standout QB1 capped off his collegiate stint like a hero with a Natty in his hand. On an unforgettable campaign overall, Howard threw for 4,010 yards, 35 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions while completing a school record 73 percent of his passes. A lot of premium guys under the center might do that, but not everyone got the stars aligned to bid a goodbye to his school along with a national title. That’s rare! That’s overwhelming for the Pennsylvania native. Heck, his descending NFL stock is a different story that strikes a huge contradiction. Is there an ace in the hole for the OSU signal caller? Bet your dime on the $6.7 billion team for a wildcard save.

Howard’s NFL graph didn’t hit a button overnight. Since the last half of November, he has started to show signs of weakness. To some extent, it triggered the question of the legitimacy of his recruitment under the center. Be it his costly last-second mishaps in the loss of the Oregon Ducks or a consistent struggle with time and rhythm while placing the ball, Howard became a fringe NFL prospect. The NFL combine disaster poured gasoline on the fire. The Ohio State sensation put up a 31.5 ” vertical jump and a 9.4” broad jump, receiving a 6.0 prospect grade. It officially denotes he has above-average backup QB skills. His throws looked extremely unsettled and historically below his standard.

Accuracy is another area where the QB phenom grappled throughout the showdown. Fans flooded the internet, calling him out for arguably the worst performance at Indianapolis. The draft nightmare unsurprisingly got in the way. But if we still look at one window for the Buckeyes, it would be the Raiders. Capitalizing on that notion, Jackson and Darren, during the April 3rd episode of JD production, broke out a point. “Quarterbacks are often a product of their situation in the NFL, and if Howard lands in a good spot, he’s going to have a chance to learn and develop. You never know what he can turn into. But where makes sense for him, the obvious number one spot for Will Howard to go is super simple. It’s the Raiders, and who is the Raiders’ offensive coordinator, Chip Kelly. There’s already some familiarity there,” said the JD hosts.

The Raiders are in a long-standing quest for a quarterback to make a playoff splash in 2025. After their offensive line heavily swedged last season, the quarterback spot became a primary focus for John Spytek and Pete Carroll this offseason. Of course, hiring Kelly will give a whole fresh flair to their offense. But giving him the chance to excel with his former quarterback can be a game-changer that the Raiders look to.

Also, their Geno Smith formula is under the bus right now. “The Raiders traded for Geno Smith, but we all know that he isn’t the long-term option. It would make sense for Las Vegas to take a swing on a young pass or later in the draft, “ the analyst added to the Raiders’ hope for Howard.

If Howard really gets to join the Raiders offense and can work seamlessly under Kelly, it can flip the script of his NFL career. But then he won’t have guys like Emeka Egbuka or Jeremiah Smith in the WR room. I mean, the Raiders have their own talented lineups, but that familiarity won’t be there.

To make the argument even stronger, Howard has a strong defense for his combined upset.

Will Howard batted for himself against the NFL combine backlash 

You can argue that Will Howard isn’t a franchise quarterback that the Raiders can risk their big money on. He didn’t get anything special to win big games. But if you blame it on his missed throws during the combine and lingering backlash, he has an answer. The OSU quarterback doesn’t really think his combine output was as bad as they made it look. He said he received a ton of on-field appreciation except from the media.

Throwing to the unknown receivers might alter things a bit. But as a veteran QB, Howard knows that putting oneself in the mud of the uncertainty is necessary. He wasn’t made about it. But he raised his voice against the media propaganda and a particular opponent team’s fan base.

“I think, really, it was the team up north’s fans blowing it out of proportion. I missed two throws obviously, but other guys did too,” Howard justified his stance and left no crumbs. But he is not alone in beating his own drums. NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah also thinks he was pretty solid and poised throughout, despite some balls looking flat. It will be interesting to see how all the flakes and doubts pan out in his final NFL destination in a few days.