Finding a Tom Brady or Brock Purdy-like value in the late rounds of the NFL Draft is uncommon. The Pittsburgh Steelers hope their sixth-round pick, Will Howard, could develop into something beyond a backup quarterback. He was a top player in a weak crop of quarterbacks in the most recent draft.
His selection towards the end of the selection process was great value, but not everything has gone to plan.
It's common for rookies to show signs of struggle in their first professional action. There is no hitting, but they run practices, which undergo simulation drills. Howard is the backup quarterback for the team as they await the final decision from Aaron Rodgers. The former Ohio State Buckeye might've caught the attention of most of Steelers Nation, but they must lower their expectations.
Howard has a strong mind to work with, but there are some concerns with his game. There is a reason why he dropped to the sixth round of the NFL Draft. Many believe he will become a solid backup for Pittsburgh, which would be an adequate scenario. Some fans believe Howard could turn into a franchise-level player, but that's not realistic.
His early struggles at OTAs show he isn't ready for the spotlight.
Pittsburgh Steelers must temper their expectations after quarterback Will Howard's OTAs performance
Nick Farabaugh of Penn Live reported that Howard had a troublesome start to his rookie campaign. It's not surprising to see a young quarterback struggle in the early goings of his career, but many have held him to a higher standard coming off a National Championship victory. Farabaugh wasn't impressed, but things could change as time allows Howard to develop.
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"Will Howard had a rough first practice against NFL veterans. That is not out of the ordinary nor unexpected and is not cause for concern. His accuracy was a bit all over the place, and in general, he looked like a sixth-round pick going through his first NFL practice."
While Howard has plenty of time to figure things out, his early struggles at OTAs should shove reality into the face of fans. They might want to believe the Steelers found a steal toward the tail end of the draft, but in fact, they only landed a backup. You could find a worse player to gamble on at that point in the draft.
With Rodgers still likely coming to Pittsburgh, any pressure on Howard will dissipate.
There is a lot of pressure on the rookie signal caller as the city waits for Rodgers to come to town. Until he does, many will try and convince themselves that a sixth-round quarterback will burst onto the scene and save the day. In reality, if Rodgers doesn't sign with the Steelers, it will be Mason Rudolph running the show until the wheels fall off. That is when they could turn to Howard.
No one should expect the rookie to make his debut in 2025 unless a typhoon of injuries rocks the depth chart.
They will want Howard to sit and learn as the third-string quarterback to gain as much knowledge of the game as possible. His next step after that, if all goes well, will be fighting with a quality rookie next year, with Rudolph not far behind.