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Rookie quarterback Will Howard may have already had his welcome to the NFL moment after the first week of Steelers OTAs

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Rob Gregson | Last updated May 30, 2025 2:34 PM ET

Will Howard might be one of the more hyped sixth-round picks in recent memory.

With everything in front of him, given the way the current Pittsburgh Steelers' QB room looks, Howard has a chance to make some headway at OTAs.

And while he ended the first week very well, Howard already saw how difficult the NFL can be early on in the week...

Will Howard recalls tough start to Steelers OTAs

"The first day was a work in progress,” Howard told Steelers media this week. “I didn’t feel great about my first day just coming off the field. It was a learning experience. It all happens a little faster. It has slowed down for me the past couple of days, but you have to continue to work and get used to this kind of football. I feel like I played at the highest level at college, so I have a good foundation, but nothing compares to this. The first day, I wasn’t comfortable, my feet were a little off timing, but Day 2 and Day 3 were a lot better...

I don't care who you are, going from college football, of which Howard hasn't played for months, to live reps against Patrick Queen, Minkah Fitzpatrick, and Joey Porter Jr., is like drinking through a fire hose.

For Howard to bounce back so quickly shows the kind of detail-oriented processor he is.

"The speed of the game and the disguises the defense shows (are different),” Howard said. “You look out there and see Minkah (Fitzpatrick) and DeShon (Elliott), and you don’t know where they are going. I remember my first day of rookie minicamp, it was a one-high check to a two-high – and it looked like it was going one-high, then it went two-high. That kind of stuff is all different from college.”

I'm not saying Howard is going to actually push for the starting role. That especially won't be the case if and when Aaron Rodgers joins the room. But if he can put together a solid three days next week, and a strong mandatory mincamp the following week, crazier things have happened than a camp battle between Mason Rudolph and Will Howard.