2025 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Will Howard

Before we dive into the scouting report, I want to clarify that Will Howard is officially my QB1 for the 2025 NFL Draft. This decision feels comfortable given the lack of talent in this class, as no other quarterback deserves a first-round grade.

Howard's potential is underrated; he possesses the physical traits, experience, character, mental processing skills, and competitive toughness necessary for development.

The National Champion was a consensus three-star recruit upon graduating from high school. He decided to commit to Kansas State over other options, including Minnesota, Maryland, and Harvard. After the 2023 season, he transferred to Ohio State, where he had a significant impact on his draft stock and led his team to a title.

In 2024, he completed 309 of 423 passes (73.1%), throwing for 4,010 yards, 35 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. He also rushed for seven touchdowns. He has a career record of 29 wins and 14 losses as a starter and has consistently improved each season.

Let's dive into the analysis below.

Will Howard NFL Draft Bio

Strengths

He possesses the prototypical NFL size for a quarterback with good arm talent. He efficiently processes coverages and blitzes both pre-snap and post-snap, resulting in good decision-making in the pocket and very good poise as he can stand under pressure.

Howard displays good pocket mobility, allowing him to step up or slide out to avoid pressure. He exhibits good mechanics and footwork while in the pocket, maintaining a balanced base and stepping into his throws with effective torque generated through his hips. He uses his eyes effectively to bait safeties and can quickly process 1-3 reads. He can read and pick apart zone defenses quickly post-snap.

He can differentiate between more velocity or touch on his throws when needed to layer the football over second or third-level defenders. He has good ball placement and anticipation to lead his receivers off breaks and hit them in stride when attacking vertically, putting them in a position to generate yards-after-catch (YAC).

Overall, good mental processing and competitive toughness throughout his game film.

Weaknesses

Howard tends to force the issue, resulting in many turnover-worthy plays. His inconsistent footwork on 5-7 step drops is a result of his lack of experience on those drops throughout his career. His ball placement can be erratic when he is throwing on the run, but he has shown the ability to be accurate at times.

If he faces interior pressure, he can throw off his back foot or drift back out of the pocket, making his throw more challenging. Howard lacks the ideal NFL arm strength but he compensates for it with his quick decision-making skills.

Summary

Overall, Howard posseses the physical and mental tools along with the character needed to develop and succeed at the next level. According to multiple coaches, teammates and NFL scouts, his leadership is top tier in the 2025 class.

That said, he does face major inconsistencies, as do most in this class. Most worry about his arm strength, but quarterbacks like Drew Brees outperformed expectations because their decision-making, touch, and leadership outweighed that weakness.

At the next level, Will Howard has the IQ to thrive in a mixture of west-coast, spread, and Air Coryell systems that attack the short to intermediate levels between the numbers and near the boundary, with occasional play-action to open up the field and take a deep shot. The quick passing game plays to his strengths due to his quick decision-making and quick release.

Will Howard potential NFL Draft Fits