It has been a while since a sixth-round pick has had this type of hype for the Pittsburgh Steelers. While every draft pick will naturally have the fans intrigued and hopeful, the outpouring of support for Ohio State's Will Howard has been unprecedented.
It was the perfect storm. The Steelers have had a standing need at quarterback since Ben Roethlisberger retired, quarterbacks are naturally exciting players to get behind, and most expected Howard to go higher than the sixth round.
You put all of this together, and fans have come out in swarms to support the rookie.
The signing of Aaron Rodgers has helped some of this hype die down. Fans are resigned to the fact that he won’t be the starter this season. That said, there are still a lot of hopeful people thinking that Howard can be the face of this franchise.
While I loved the pick and think Howard has some traits to build around, I’m not under the mindset that he is the future of this team. Heck, he may not even win a roster spot this summer during training camp.
The Pittsburgh Steelers haven’t guaranteed anything to Will Howard
It seems like a foregone conclusion that Howard is a safe bet to make the roster as the third quarterback for the team. While I hope he does earn that role, I will also acknowledge that he could just as easily play his way off the roster.
What happens if he struggles in camp and during the preseason? He certainly won’t be playing with the talent that he benefited from in college. It isn’t uncommon to see these backend and late-round quarterbacks struggle when given the opportunity to play.
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Even if he doesn’t flame out, he has some stiff competition in Skylar Thompson. He has already amassed time in 10 NFL games, including three starts. No, the play hasn’t been amazing, but experience can easily give him an edge.
This isn’t the first time that Thompson and Howard fought for a job. Back when both were at Kansas State, Thomspon ended up winning the battle before leaving for the NFL. He could just as easily win that battle once again.
Howard has his issues. Beyond the talent around him helping at Ohio State, he has a mediocre arm that severely caps his upside. Even if you can look past that, there are just some quarterbacks that don’t translate their success to the NFL.
While I hope that Howard proves me wrong, the odds say that most fans are overhyping him as a rookie. I’ll need to see it to believe it, and unless he is lights out during training camp, I don’t think his being the third quarterback on the roster is a lock. Simply put, he needs to earn his keep as a late-round draft pick.