Former NFL QB Has Fascinating Comparison for Ohio State's Will Howard

Ohio State Buckeyes star Will Howard has received a major NFL comparison from a former quarterback.

Jan 20, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard (18) against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the CFP National Championship college football game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard put together a masterful season for the program in 2024. He led the team to a national championship and is now gearing up for the 2025 NFL Draft.

Due to the impressive run that he led Ohio State to, Howard has started receiving more recognition.

With that in mind, many are starting to view him as a potential legitimate NFL talent. He's being given a chance to end up developing into a starter down the line.

Kurt Benkert, a former NFL quarterback, took some time to look at Howard's game. He offered a very intriguing comparison for the Buckeyes standout and is clearly a fan of what he sees in Howard's game.

"I found my Will Howard comp: Joe Flacco," Benkert wrote. "He can make any throw on the field, he’s athletic enough to move the chains on third downs, and he’s willing to stand and deliver with pressure in his face."

He continued on, adding more to his breakdown of Howard's game. Additionally, he suggested the Pittsburgh Steelers as a potential fit for Howard in the draft.

"He gets a little antsy from time to time and to be honest some of the throws that he misses are because he’s trying to throw it earlier than he needs to. This isn’t a bad thing and it’s easy to fix, but he’s definitely a true pro style quarterback. He’s got some moxie to him as well, which was cool to see come out on film. I actually could see him being a mid round draft pick to somewhere like Pittsburgh."

Those are words of high praise. Howard has clearly turned heads and drawn eyes to his ability.

Thoughout the course of the 2024 college football season with Ohio State, Howard completed 73.1 percent of his pass attempts for 4,010 yards, 35 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. He also used his athleticism to pick up 226 yards and seven more touchdowns on the ground.

Comparing Howard to Flacco is solid, but the Buckeyes' standout has more ability to move around outside the pocket than Flacco ever did. That will serve him well at the next level.

It will be interesting to see where Howard ends up landing in the NFL Draft. The Steelers would make sense, but there are a lot of other teams who could have interest in him too.

Regardless of which team drafts him, Ohio State fans will never forget Howard and will continue rooting him on at the next level.

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