📄: Sixth Round: Will Howard | 📸: Howard in pictures | 📺: Pick Announcement | 📃: How Howard fits with the Steelers | 📃: What to like about Howard | 📺: Tomlin calls Howard | 📺: Smith on Howard | 📺: Howard's combine workout | 📺: Welcome to Pittsburgh

The Steelers selected Ohio State quarterback Will Howard in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, the 185th overall pick.

"I talked to the Steelers at the Combine," said Howard. "I had a formal interview with them. I had dinner with them before our Pro Day. It just made a lot of sense. From the moment I met Coach (Mike) Tomlin, I was like this is a guy I can play for. I am just so blessed. I am overwhelmed."

Howard had to wait a few days to get the phone call that he was drafted, but it was worth the wait for him.

"It's been long. But it's not about when, it's where," said Howard, who is from West Chester, Pa. "I had to trust in God and believe he had a plan for me and the right team was going to pick me. And I think 100 percent the right team picked me. I am a Pennsylvania kid.

"The Steelers are an organization I have a lot of respect for a lot of years. Coming into this process I was hoping the Steelers would take me because I thought it was a great organization. I am so blessed.

"I couldn't be more fired up to be with an organization like the Pittsburgh Steelers."

Howard spent one season with the Buckeyes after starting his college career at Kansas State. He appeared in a total of 50 games, completing 767 of 1,202 passes, 63.8%, for 9,796 yards, 83 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

Howard started all 16 games for the Buckeyes, leading them to a school record 14 wins and the College Football Playoff National Championship. He completed 309 of 423 passes for 4,010 yards and 35 touchdowns. His completion percentage was a career and school record, also setting an Ohio State record with eight games with at least an 80% completion percentage.

Among the honors Howard won in 2024 were the Most Valuable Player in the win over Texas in the Cotton Bowl and the win over Notre Dame in the CFP National Championship.

Howard began his college career in 2020 at Kansas State and in four seasons appeared in 34 games. He completed 458 of 779 passes for 5,786 yards and 48 touchdowns.

He led the Wildcats to the Big 12 title in 2022, including a win over Texas Christian in the Big 12 Championship game. His 48 touchdown passes set a Kansas State record and he tied the school single season record with 24 touchdown passes in 2023.

Honors & Awards:
2024: CFP National Championship game offensive MVP, CFP semifinals at the Cotton Bowl offensive MVP, Third-team all-Big Ten Conference, Cotton Bowl/Dan S. Petty Scholar-Athlete, Two-time CSC Academic All-District, Second-team All-Big 12 (coaches), Academic All-Big 12, Graduated in December with his degree in accounting

2023: (at Kansas State) Second-team All-Big 12 (coaches), Academic All-Big 12, Graduated in December with his degree in accounting

2022: Academic All-Big 12

2021: Academic All-Big 12

Full College Bio:

CAREER: Started 44 games in his 50-game collegiate career at Ohio State (2024) and Kansas State (2020-23) ... Played in 34 games for Kansas State and started 28 times ... Ranks fourth at Kansas State in career completions (458), fifth in passing yards (5,786), attempts (779) and total offense/game (197.3), sixth in passing yards/game (170.2) and seventh in passing efficiency (135.1) ... Also ranks fourth in career TDs responsible for (67) and sixth in total offense (6,707) ... Totaled 9,994 passing yards and 85 TDs plus added another 1,147 rushing yards and 26 TDs for 11,141 yards of total offense and 111 TDs responsible for during his career.

2024: Started all 16 games at quarterback for Ohio State in 2024 and led the team to a school-record 14-win season and the CFP National Championship ... Set Ohio State single-season and career completion percentage records by completing 71.4 percent of his passes (325-of-455) ... Set Ohio State record with eight games with at least an 80 percent completion percentage ... His 325 completions, 455 attempts and 4,208 passing yards all rank third in Ohio State single- season history ... Offensive MVP in the Cotton Bowl win over Texas and the CFP National Championship game win over Notre Dame ... Quarterbacked Ohio State to five victories over Top 5-ranked teams, an NCAA record: over No. 3 Penn State, No. 5 Indiana, No. 1 Oregon, No. 3 Texas and No. 5 Notre Dame ... Also led Ohio State to a sixth Top 10 win, over No. 7 Tennessee to open the College Football Playoffs, by throwing for 311 yards and two TDs in a 42-17 rout that launched the Buckeyes on their championship run of wins ... Spectacular in the CFP wins over Tennessee, Oregon, Texas and Notre Dame, completing 75.2 percent of his passes (82-109) for 1,150 yards (287.5 yards per game) with eight touchdowns and only two interceptions in the four games ... Threw for 319 yards and three TDs in the CFP win over No. 1 Oregon ... Completed 17-of-21 passes in the CFP title game vs. Notre Dame plus rushed for 57 yards ... Set CFP championship game records for most consecutive completions (13) and highest passer rating (204.8) ... Ranked among the Top 6 QBs nationally in four categories for the season: completion percentage (2nd; 73.0), efficiency (3rd; 175.25),
TD passes (4th; 35) and yards (6th; 4,010).

2023: Second-Team All-Big 12 (coaches), Academic All-Big 12, Graduated in December with his degree in accounting ... Set Kansas State career record with 48 TD passes and tied the school single-season record with 24 TD passes ... Threw for a career high 327 yards and a career-high four TDs vs. Texas ... Had a career-day for attempts (42) and completions (27) vs. Houston ... Rushed for 921 yards during his career with 19 TDs ... Started all 12 regular-season games, throwing for 2,643 yards and a school-record tying 24 TDs, while he rushed 81 times for 351 yards and nine TDs ... Ranked seventh nationally in points responsible/game (17.5), 13th in total points responsible for (210) and 23rd in passing TDs ... Ranked second in the Big 12 in passing TDs and TDs responsible for (33), sixth in total offense/game (249.50) and tied for ninth in TD scoring (5.33 points/game) ... Ranked fourth in school history in single-season completions, sixth in passing yards and seventh in attempts ... His passing yardage total ranked third in school history among seniors ... Also ranked seventh in school history in single-season TDs responsible for (33) and ninth in total offensive yards (2,994).

2022: Academic All-Big 12 ... Led the Wildcats to the Big 12 title in 2022, including a win over TCU in the Big 12 championship game ... Played in seven games with six starts over the second half of the season, including the Big 12 Championship victory over TCU and in the Sugar Bowl against Alabama ... Threw for 1,633 yards and 15 TDs with just four interceptions, while he rushed for three TDs ... Ranked eighth in school history in passing efficiency at 149.6 ... Recorded multiple TD passes in six-straight games, the longest streak ever by a Wildcat in a single season and the longest overall since Josh Freeman did so in seven games (final three games of 2007, first four games of 2008) ... Tied a school record with four TD passes against Oklahoma State while also setting a career high in passing yards (296) and tying his career high in completions (21).

2021: Academic All-Big 12 ... Played in six games with starts against Nevada, Oklahoma State and Texas ... Finished the season throwing for 332 yards and a TD, while he rushed 32 times for 184 yards and four TDs ... Had a career-high two rushing TDs against Nevada, both of which came in the fourth quarter as K-State broke a 17-17 tie... Tallied a 71- yard TD run at Texas, the longest for a score in his career and the second-longest overall (80 yards at TCU, 2020) ... Tossed a 68-yard TD pass against Nevada, the second of his career over 65 yards.

2020: Played in nine games with starts in each of the final seven contests, one of just four true freshmen quarterbacks in the nation to make at least seven starts during the 2020 season ... Threw for 1,178 yards and eight TDs, while he rushed for 364 yards and three TDs ... Set the school record for passing TDs by a freshman, while his passing yardage and total offense (1,542) total ranked third ... Ranked fifth in school history among freshmen in rushing yards, and he is the only quarterback to reach the top-five in that category ... Averaged 13.09 yards/completion, the second-highest nationally among true freshmen ... Earned his first-career start at TCU, becoming the first true freshman quarterback in school history earn the win in his first-career road start ... Busted an 80-yard run against the Horned Frogs, tied for the seventh-longest run in school history and was the second longest by a quarterback.

PERSONAL: Entered the portal in December 2023 after a stellar, four-year career at Kansas State, and transferred to Ohio State in January of 2024 ... Rated the 13th-best pro-style quarterback in the 2020 recruiting class by 247Sports ... Named the All-Southeastern Pennsylvania Player of the Year by the Philadelphia Inquirer, all-state by the Pennsylvania Football Writers and the Maxwell Football Club Pennsylvania Player of the Year ... Threw for 5,308 yards and 48 TDs during his prep career ... A 1,000-plus point scorer as a prep basketball player ... Son of Maureen and Bob Howard and has three siblings: Tori, Ryan and Grace.