QB 2025

[pczach]

I can't seem to find anyone who doesn't make their living pretending to be an expert about the NFL on TV saying that Sanders was anything more than an exciting back-up. Colorado and Sanders were mostly a story because of the money and ratings their names and media narrative drove. Colorado and Sanders didn't really seem all that impressive on the field.

If you wade past the nonsense on TV, talk radio, and really dig around the internet and podcast NFL content areas, you can find actual football folks seemingly discussing actual events on a football field. I could not seem to find any of them having better than a third round grade on Sanders. I can think of another QB that seemed to be in a similar disconnect between how he was talked about and how his film actually graded.

An interesting nugget on the 2025 QB class....take a look at Jaxson Dart in the second half of games. It is pretty bad. Especially against well coached opponents. Basically, Kiffin had a gameplan that flummoxed teams during the opening half drives. Then, the team adjusted as things began to repeat....and Dart struggled to adjust. That is not a great trait to bring to the table at the level of defense he will routinely see in the NFL. The Giants better let Dart sit for a long time and learn his craft. But the coach and GM are likely desperate to save their jobs, so he will get rushed onto the field. Should be interesting to see if he can flourish or struggles to process.

My top three quarterbacks were Cam Ward, Jaxson Dart, and Tyler Shough.

As you know, I don't make a living evaluating players but I have been doing this stuff for a while now.

Earlier in this thread I posted the shortcomings of Sanders. I don't believe that they are difficult to see. The deficiencies in his game and the limits of his talents are right there for everyone to see.

I listened to the media build this guy up with many saying he was the best quarterback prospect in this draft. I'm sure that kneeling at the feet of Deion Sanders had something to do with it, but the complete lack of objectivity these media types were showing was embarrassing. They were incredulous. They claimed everything from people hating his father to insinuating racism. It was and is complete bullshit and they should be ashamed of themselves.

32 NFL teams evaluated Sanders and concluded what anyone could see if they were truly looking. He had no elite traits and several aspects to his game that will not translate to the NFL without significant improvement. He also didn't help himself by not competing at the combine and looking down his nose at the process like he was above it......He was not.

Sanders may turn out to be a good quarterback if he can maximize what he does well and develop and improve what he currently doesn't. He has a chance to show what he can do, how hard he is willing to work, and much he can learn to get there. He has his chance but he will have to earn it.

We all have to remember that getting drafted is just a ticket to get into the show. It's what you do with the opportunity once you get there that ultimately decides how far a player goes.

[hawaiiansteeler]

[pczach]

That is total awesomeness!

[Mojouw]

My top three quarterbacks were Cam Ward, Jaxson Dart, and Tyler Shough.

As you know, I don't make a living evaluating players but I have been doing this stuff for a while now.

Earlier in this thread I posted the shortcomings of Sanders. I don't believe that they are difficult to see. The deficiencies in his game and the limits of his talents are right there for everyone to see.

I listened to the media build this guy up with many saying he was the best quarterback prospect in this draft. I'm sure that kneeling at the feet of Deion Sanders had something to do with it, but the complete lack of objectivity these media types were showing was embarrassing. They were incredulous. They claimed everything from people hating his father to insinuating racism. It was and is complete bullshit and they should be ashamed of themselves.

32 NFL teams evaluated Sanders and concluded what anyone could see if they were truly looking. He had no elite traits and several aspects to his game that will not translate to the NFL without significant improvement. He also didn't help himself by not competing at the combine and looking down his nose at the process like he was above it......He was not.

Sanders may turn out to be a good quarterback if he can maximize what he does well and develop and improve what he currently doesn't. He has a chance to show what he can do, how hard he is willing to work, and much he can learn to get there. He has his chance but he will have to earn it.

We all have to remember that getting drafted is just a ticket to get into the show. It's what you do with the opportunity once you get there that ultimately decides how far a player goes.

It has been bizarre to watch. Sanders and his camp tried to get away with handling the pre draft process like Sanders was a prospect that everyone agreed was an elite talent. John Elway or Andrew Luck can skip parts of the job interview. Everyone already wants to hire them.

All that being said, any of these kids can still get things together and be excellent players.

[Born2Steel]

Will Howard is going to be the BEST of the class!!!!

[Shoes]

Will Howard is going to be the BEST of the class!!!!

I like him, let's hope it works out!

[pczach]

It has been bizarre to watch. Sanders and his camp tried to get away with handling the pre draft process like Sanders was a prospect that everyone agreed was an elite talent. John Elway or Andrew Luck can skip parts of the job interview. Everyone already wants to hire them.

All that being said, any of these kids can still get things together and be excellent players.

It really has been bizarre to watch.

As you say, all of these kids will have their shot. The beauty of the evaluation process is that nobody truly knows the ceiling of every player. Some quarterbacks get to the NFL and thrive in a situation where they can eat, sleep, and live football. Some are far more capable and much better processors than what they were asked to do in college. When they start putting things together, their overall play skyrockets. That's how guys that don't have the elite traits can really blossom in a system that fits their skills when the light goes on.

[pczach]

Will Howard is going to be the BEST of the class!!!!

I hope so. He has some aspects of his game that are not that good, but he showed the ability to elevate his game in the biggest games in this year's college football playoff. He has some mechanics and footwork to improve on to help him generate power more consistently and help with his accuracy, but it can be improved.

He is one of the quarterbacks in this draft that played a lot under center and used play action. It is simple things like that experience that can help to make the transition easier for him into an offense like Arthur Smith's. Even though his arm strength is very average, if he plays on time it won't matter as much. In other words, if Howard can take his 7-step drop and let the ball go as soon as his back foot hits the ground, he doesn't have to throw the ball as far down the field to deliver the pass to the target compared to quarterbacks that hold the ball. If he doesn't hold the ball, it makes things easier on the OL. It will limit the amount of sacks given up. If he doesn't hold the ball, it gives the safeties less time to diagnose the play post snap, force them to make quicker decisions to get to the spot to stop the play. It will help the entire offense stay on schedule with less negative plays and keep favorable down-and-distance situations.

My hope is that Howard shows that he can handle what they're throwing at him and he shows that he understands the concepts and an ability to read defenses. Then if he can start to get the pre-snap reads and process what he sees more quickly, he will have a real chance to play in this league.

[El-Gonzo Jackson]

Will Howard is going to be the BEST of the class!!!!

I hope that you are correct. I am cautiously pessimistic. I lean to Michigan in the Big10 and when playing OSU, it was never a big fear of Will Howard going off and having a big day vs the Wolverines.

Again, he has the size, frame, attitude that works, but not the arm strength, athleticism or quick decision making that I think is needed to be productive. I hope he is a much better pro than I expected.

[Shoes]

Gruden & Howard

[pczach]

Gruden & Howard

That was great! Thanks for posting that.

I had never seen this before. I was real impressed with Howard in this video.

This is the type of stuff that is incredible to learn about a quarterback, but there is no chance to do that unless you are part of the process. This is how you learn how a player ticks. How he operates. How fast he can operate mentally, and how quickly and accurately he can memorize information and apply it to his operation of the offense. It's not just memorization. It is the ability to instantly understand new concepts and apply it to what you already know and implement it into your processing and execution.

Gruden was letting Howard do full field reads. Howard says he had that at OSU. There were no limitations, plus he was given an audible system to use in up-tempo or hurry-up. He mastered the language and where to go with the ball based on coverage very quickly. Of course, it's a lot easier to do when nobody is rushing the passer, jamming the receivers, and coach Gruden is calling out the coverage. It would be up to Howard to identify the coverages pre-snap based on what he sees and the use of motion. He can then audible to better plays based on coverage, and he has to communicate that to his teammates quickly and then follow his progressions to distribute the ball to the primary or best matchup.

Everything above can work if a coach trusts his quarterback to have total control at the line of scrimmage, everyone on the team has a full grasp of the offense and the playbook, and the coaching staff gets the plays in quickly so the quarterback has the time to diagnose the defense and then get the team in the best play possible based on what the defense is doing.

Howard certainly appears to have the mind to be able to do it in that environment. That means he has the ability to do it in live action, but the processing changes for many when they are getting hit and everything around them is going 100 mph.

I can't wait to see what he can do. He ran a lot of pro concepts at Ohio St. He took snaps from under center. He understands formations, language, and how to communicate with his teammates.

He also has that edge to him. He wants it real bad, especially when he feels slighted. That will serve him well.

Pretty impressive stuff.

[Mojouw]

if someone can figure out a way to tweak Howard’s mechanics/footwork/steroid regime and get a few more ticks on the OL’ fastball, he could be a great pick.

Honestly, it is weird that a dude his size doesn’t throw with more zip.

[ETL]

This kid looks impressive in the way he presents himself - with confidence and knowledge. I guess I’m hesitant to put eggs in a 6th round basket but we couldn’t have picked a better QB from round 3 and on

[Voice of Reason]

Please don't let Aaron Rodgers be signed and soak up Howard's practice reps and actual game experience.

[ALLD]

It will be interesting to see which QBs from the 2025 draft class are around in 2029 and which ones will be delivering packages for Amazon.

[Born2Steel]

https://www.pennlive.com/steelers/20...-happened.html

New QB invited to camp. I know nothing about him other than what's in this article.

[tube517]

https://www.pennlive.com/steelers/20...-happened.html

New QB invited to camp. I know nothing about him other than what's in this article.

Hand size good!

[El-Gonzo Jackson]

Hand size good!

Thats a start for a camp arm.

Now if we can just find a RB with "Suddeness and Glide".

[Born2Steel]

Hand size good!

Lol.... it says 9 4/8".

[ETL]

Wow. Dude has 19/2 inch hands!

[hawaiiansteeler]

[Edman]

Aaron Rodgers isn't the answer, so 2026 will bring on #6 in six years.

Mediocrity Making history.

[Voice of Reason]

Will Howard is going to be the BEST of the class!!!!

If there's one guy that's totally screwed by the Rodgers signing, it's Howard. Assuming Rodgers stays healthy for a significant part of the season, Howard will get no chance this year to gain experience or show what he can do. Then next year the QB the Steelers choose in the 2026 draft will be anointed. Howard will have absolutely no shot.

[Born2Steel]

If there's one guy that's totally screwed by the Rodgers signing, it's Howard. Assuming Rodgers stays healthy for a significant part of the season, Howard will get no chance this year to gain experience or show what he can do. Then next year the QB the Steelers choose in the 2026 draft will be anointed. Howard will have absolutely no shot.

Maybe yes, maybe no. My magic 8-ball says 'future unclear'.

[oneforthetoe]

If there's one guy that's totally screwed by the Rodgers signing, it's Howard. Assuming Rodgers stays healthy for a significant part of the season, Howard will get no chance this year to gain experience or show what he can do. Then next year the QB the Steelers choose in the 2026 draft will be anointed. Howard will have absolutely no shot.

No doubt Howard would have had a better shot of playing if he was backing up Mason, or even the 3rd option, than he does strictly as the 3rd option behind Rodgers. That said, he seems to have a great attitude and work ethic. As a fan I would like to see him play but sitting for a year is probably the best thing for him. If the Steelers move up in the draft next year to grab a QB, they will rightly hope that player is the future, but they also control Howard for 3 years after this year. If he is the truly the guy it will eventually show. I like the Howard pick, but I am not too concerned about immediate opportunities of a 6th round pick, regardless of his championship pedigree.

[El-Gonzo Jackson]

Maybe yes, maybe no. My magic 8-ball says 'future unclear'.

Which equates to the 2026 Draft and the 8-Ball saying "try again Later".

[Mojouw]

Will Howard as a long term NFL starter is really funny.

Guys gonna be terrible.

[oneforthetoe]

Will Howard as a long term NFL starter is really funny.

Guys gonna be terrible.

Most likely he will not be good starter in the NFL based on expert evaluation and just pure statistics. Howardever, it is not crazy that he could be an adequate backup some day and not impossible that he becomes the exception. Unlikely also he is a draft a bust considering where he was drafted. This was a very low risk pick given where he was selected. All the signs are that we are picking a QB next year.

[Born2Steel]

Which equates to the 2026 Draft and the 8-Ball saying "try again Later".

LOL...or 'outlook not good'.

[Mojouw]

Most likely he will not be good starter in the NFL based on expert evaluation and just pure statistics. Howardever, it is not crazy that he could be an adequate backup some day and not impossible that he becomes the exception. Unlikely also he is a draft a bust considering where he was drafted. This was a very low risk pick given where he was selected. All the signs are that we are picking a QB next year.

I suspect Howard will have a decent NFL career as a backup QB who provides value with his leadership and smarts.