The reigning CFP national champion is confident in his abilities
Coming off a national championship in the first expanded College Football Playoff, Will Howard’s is feeling sky high entering the NFL Draft. Howard isn’t expected to be a first-round pick, yet the Ohio State quarterback is confident he’s the best at his position.
“I believe I’m the best quarterback in this class,” Howard said, via ESPN. “I think there’s unbelievable talent. But if you’re going to be a competitor, at the end of the day, you have to have that belief in yourself, and I think that’s what helps me get through those adverse times.
Howard’s draft stock could have fallen after a subpar combine performance, but that’s just a stain on what was a winning resume. In his one season at Ohio State, Howard completed 73% of his passes for 4,010 yards and 35 touchdowns. The passing yards and completion rate were both third in a season in Big Ten history.
In the national championship win over Notre Dame, Howard completed 81% of his passes for 231 yards with two touchdowns and zero interceptions. He also rushed for 57 yards. He’s the first player with an 80% completion rate, 200-plus passing yards and 50-plus rushing yards in a College Football Playoff game.
Howard also played four years at Kansas State before transferring to Ohio State. He improved his touchdowns thrown and completion rate every season in college, which is why the combine performance isn’t an indicator of how he’ll play in the NFL.
“S— happens,” Howard said. “You’ve got to be able to deal with it, and it’s the mentally tough people that are able to overcome those things. I think in my career I’ve just had to do that over and over again, and I’ve realized it’s a never-ending cycle.”
Howard was benched twice at Kansas State before having success at Ohio State. The quarterback he replaced at Ohio State, Kyle McCord, put up better numbers at Syracuse and is in the same draft class as him.
The constant improvement and national championship carry some weight for Howard, so it will be intriguing to see what round he ends up being selected in the draft.
