Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard struggled last month at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine. During his drills, Howard missed multiple throws and failed to connect consistently with his wide receivers.
However, Howard redeemed himself at his pro day and believes the narrative around his bad NFL Combine performances was a result of Michigan fans.
Will Howard Blames Michigan Fans for NFL Combine Backlash
Howard had his struggles at the NFL Combine; when a video of his misses was compiled by popular football X profile MLFootball, fans pounced on the QB. While Howard acknowledged his struggles, he believes it was blown out of proportion by Ohio State’s fierce rival, Michagan.
“The Combine, obviously, there were some things said about it afterwards,” Howard told Adam King of 10TV following his pro day.
“I thought I did pretty well. I think really it was Team Up North [Michigan] fans blowing it out of proportion. I missed like two throws, obviously, but other guys did too,” Howard said.
“I thought I did pretty well, I think it was like Team Up North fans blowing it out of proportion”
Loved this –
Will Howard said he got really good feedback from teams after the combine.
The narrative about him having a bad Combine was odd after he missed just a couple throws: pic.twitter.com/OfXLk9AqQS
— Adam King (@AdamKing10TV) March 27, 2025
“It’s definitely better being here in this building with my guys. You’re more comfortable, but you always want to put yourself in uncomfortable situations. I wasn’t mad about it. I thought I did well at the Combine, and I got good feedback from a lot of people, except for pretty much the media. But it is what it is, it’s part of it.”
Howard impressed at his pro day, unofficially completing his first 40 pass attempts to finish off an impressive 43-of-46 on the day.
“I think today was a great showing,” Howard told King. “I showed that I can spin the ball with the best of them.”
Howard’s pro day was attended by the Pittsburgh Steelers and New Orleans Saints brass, including respective head coaches Mike Tomlin and Kellen Moore. He was taken out to dinner earlier by Tomlin and Steelers general manager Omar Khan as well.
Howard’s 2025 NFL Draft Projection
Despite the criticism Howard has endured for struggling at the NFL Combine, Howard has proven at the college level, and now at his pro day, that he is not as inaccurate as was on display in Indianapolis.
This past year, Howard had 4,010 passing yards, 42 total touchdowns, 10 interceptions, and an impressive completion percentage of 73.0%. In addition to this strong stat line, Howard led the Buckeyes to a College Football Playoff National Championship victory over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
READ MORE: Will Howard NFL Draft Hub — Scouting Report, Player Profile, Projection, and More
In PFSN’s seven-round 2025 NFL Mock Draft by Ben Rolfe, which is based on user data from PFSN’s NFL Mock Draft Simulator, Howard is projected to be picked 131st overall by the Saints.
Howard is viewed as one of the top quarterbacks in the 2025 NFL Draft class by some analysts. While Rolfe has him going in the fifth round, that kind of value could be a steal for the Saints.
The former Kansas State star likely won’t be the starter in New Orleans, but he gives the Saints a solid option behind Derek Carr. And after the year he just had, it wouldn’t be shocking if Moore decides to give him a look early in the season.