Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard had quite the wild ride during the 2024 season with the program. After joining via the transfer portal and being viewed as a potential weak link at the start of the season, he actually ended up being one of the biggest reasons the team won a national championship.
Unfortunately, Howard has run out of eligibility. He will be taking his talents to the NFL in the 2025 draft.
Even though it was only one year, Howard will never be forgotten at Ohio State. He will go down in the history books for the job that he did and the championship that he helped win.
Now, he’s focused on his next chapter. Howard’s draft stock has improved dramatically over the past month, but there is no telling where he might end up landing.
Mike Luciano of Just Blog Baby has suggested that the Las Vegas Raiders could end up being a potential suitor for Howard in the 2025 NFL Draft. That would be an incredibly intriguing destination for him.
Not only do the Raiders need help at the quarterback position, former Buckeyes’ offensive coordinator Chip Kelly left the program after the national championship win to become the offensive coordinator in Las Vegas.
Howard makes too much sense for the QB-needy Raiders in the third or fourth round,” Luciano wrote. “While he doesn’t have any standout traits, Howard is a bigger quarterback with a strong arm, mobility, and terrific accuracy on intermediate throws. Kelly has already shown he can win with Howard in the past.”
Howard would be given a chance to compete for early playing time with the Raiders. Depending on what other moves the team makes in the offseason, his main competition would be Aidan O’Connell.
During the 2024 season with Ohio State, Howard ended up completing 73.1 percent of his passes for 4,010 yards, 35 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. He also chipped in 226 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground
The success that he had with Kelly could very well translate to the NFL.
All of that being said, it’s just an idea at this point in time. No one knows how the draft will shake out.
If Howard is available and Las Vegas is looking for a quarterback, the pairing would make an awful lot of sense. Reuniting with Kelly would give Howard a great situation to work with.
