Will Howard expects his successors at Ohio State may find some inspiration in his legacy. Be it the numbers, the logic, the philosophy, the attitude, anything but the Buckeyes QB1 just wants to be that guiding light in any form to the newbies at Columbus heading into a new season. But what about his dwindling NFL stock after a humiliating Combine performance? The reality of college football is volatile. It changes before you blink. Just a couple of months back, Howard stood on the podium at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium as the most successful QB in the mix, flaunting a natty for his team. But right now, nobody is perhaps more stressed about the NFL stock. But wait, it’s still not the end of the world for the Buckeyes QB1.
The NFL Combine is a golden opportunity of skyrocketing one’s chance to be in the good book of the NFL scouts more intensely in a one-to-one setup. It’s kind of the Super Bowl of all the NFL hopefuls. But for Howard, the chance backfired. The day didn’t go according to the expectations of a national championship. He was pretty late on his throws, displaying a lack of coordination with the wideouts.
The lackluster performance triggered some scathing remarks from fans, calling him the worst performer of the entire Combine list throughout the social media wall. However, insider Matt Millar sees his fate in a bit more positive light. “I’m not saying necessarily I believe that Will Howard should be that quarterback three, but I definitely think he deserves some consideration right now, probably the top favorite to be that quarterback three is Jaxson Dart out of Ole Miss. Then besides him you’re talking about guys like Quinn Ewers out of Texas, you’re talking about Kyle McCord out of Syracuse, Jalen Milroe out of Alabama, Tyler Shough out of Louisville and I think Will Howard certainly fits into that group as well.”
Well, Daniel Jeremiah, the Lead NFL draft analyst for NFL Network said on The Pat McAfee Show, “If you’re looking for a place for Will Howard, it’s pretty easy dots to connect if the Raiders aren’t super active in addressing the veteran side of things and they just get a stop-gap quarterback who knows Will Howard better than Chip Kelly? So why would that not be an opportunity for him somewhere, one day to land with a coach that he is very familiar with,” Keeping aside Howard’s deep familiarity with $6 million worth former Buckeyes OC Chip Kelly, the rolling of veteran QB Geno Smith as a third-round pick might give an edge to Howard.
The simple reason is that Howard’s performance didn’t showcase his readiness to lead an NFL team’s offense as a QB1. One strong support in that position might work well with him, allowing him some time to develop under a safety net. The chance seemed very real, especially given how Shedeur Sanders and Cam Newton defended Howard’s Combine fate amidst the growing backlash.
Will Howard receives unexpected support amidst the growing backlash
Shedeur Sanders didn’t opt to participate in throws and drills in the Combine, catching strays from the fans nationwide. But it barely matters. NFL vet Chad Johnson said that the Combine shorts are cute, and all the drills and running are okay but that could never replace the year-long performance of an athlete in his school. Cam Newton echoed the same sentiment, saying that some of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history had underwhelming showings during the pre-draft process.
He blamed the media for overhyping the Combine and the fans for overreacting without knowing the circumstances behind the scenes. ”Going to the Combine, like bro, you’re in a situation where you don’t know the skill set, you don’t know the tempo, you don’t know who you’re going to throw to, and it’s like bro, do you blame him?” Newton put some lunatic fans on notice.
The Colorado QB, Shedeur Sanders, who kind of received the same treatment after declining throws on the Combine, also came in support of Will Howard. ”I don’t understand y’all hating on Will Howard, he just won a natty. It’s hard to throw to WR’s that you don’t know. Everyone runs routes differently,” Shedeur tweeted following the massive Will Howard controversy.
We will see if Howard can beat all the odds landing in Raiders or in some other notable NFL franchise, doing justice to his outstanding championship stint.
The post Will Howard’s Draft Stock Takes a Turn as OSU QB Linked to $6M NFL Coach After Cam Newton’s Final Verdict appeared first on EssentiallySports.
