Jon Gruden Says Steelers Rookie QB is a Steal

Further Praise for Howard

One of the more appealing aspects of Howard's profile as a draft prospect was his experience and pedigree as a winner during his collegiate career.

The 24-year-old had kicked things off at Kansas State in 2020, where he sat behind current Steelers teammate Skylar Thompson during his first two years with the program. Howard appeared in 19 games between the 2022 and 2023 campaigns, though, and across that span, he threw for 4,276 yards, 39 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.

He subsequently transferred to Ohio State for his final year of eligibility in 2024. He helped lead the team to their first national title since 2014 by posting a Big Ten-leading 73.0 percent completion rate, 4,010 yards and 25 touchdowns over 16 total games.

Howard was selected in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft by Pittsburgh, and Gruden believes the organization came away with a major steal.

"He's a winner, man. This guy's a winner. He won big at Kansas State, they won the Big 12. He won the national title. He was the wow factor," Gruden said. "He's got a photographic memory. He's a great communicator. I'll be shocked if he's not one hell of an NFL quarterback, and I told a couple of my friends in Pittsburgh, I told [general manager] Omar Khan, 'I can't believe you got him in [the] sixth round."

What Can Steelers Reasonably Expect from Howard?

While Howard has a lot of the tools you look for in a starting quarterback with his athleticism and strong arm, he still has quite a way to go before he reaches that point.

The expectation isn't for him to fill that role for the Steelers, however, which works in his favor as he gets back into the flow of things following a hand injury that sidelined him throughout the entire preseason and kept him out of practice until his 21-day window was opened in late October.

It's incredibly unlikely that he'll get any playing time ahead of Aaron Rodgers or even Mason Rudolph, if it comes down to it, this year, but the fact that Howard is back in action and is getting more live reps is a big deal for his long-term growth.