With the 2025 NFL Draft just weeks away, teams are starting to narrow down their draft boards. For quarterbacks, it’s a thin class. Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders are likely to be the first two off the board, but after that, it’s wide open.
Jaxson Dart, Will Howard and others are hoping to make their mark. Howard, now at Ohio State, is ranked as the sixth-best quarterback by ESPN but still calls himself the best in the class.
Ranked At QB6 by ESPN, Will Howard Still Declares Himself Best in the Class
Former Super Bowl-winning coach Jon Gruden had Howard on a recent episode of his streamed show, Gruden’s QB Class, and didn’t hold back his praise. Gruden questioned why Howard isn’t getting more attention as the top quarterback in the 2025 Draft.
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Gruden showed highlights from Howard’s time at Kansas State and Ohio State and pointed out similarities to Allen, the current NFL MVP. Both quarterbacks stand 6’5″. Allen weighed 237 pounds entering the 2018 NFL Draft, where the Buffalo Bills took him seventh overall. Howard, at 236 pounds, has drawn similar comparisons.
While watching the highlights, Gruden argued that Howard should be ranked higher on most draft boards.
“How the hell do people not like you as the No. 1 quarterback in the draft?” Gruden said to Howard. “Didn’t you win the national title? What do you have to do? You’re 6-5. You’re like a young Josh Allen.”
Gruden comparing Howard to Allen is about as good of a compliment as it can get. Gruden spoke about how Howard has a nearly identical build as the reigning NFL MVP, Allen, had when he was going into the 2018 NFL Draft.
Both quarterbacks are 6’5″, while Allen weighed in at 237 pounds at the NFL combine. That helped convince the Buffalo Bills to take him with the seventh overall pick. Howard currently weighs 236 pounds, just one pound off where Allen was at this point in his career, just seven years earlier.
Howard agreed and went on to tell ESPN that he “believes he is the best quarterback in this class,” Howard told 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 believe in yourself.”
“I think that’s what helps me get through those adverse times. S— happens. 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.”
Gruden also had a high comparison for Howard’s running ability. He compared what Howard can do on his feet to that of Philadelphia Eagles Super Bowl-winning star running back Saquon Barkley and Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts.
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The NFL Draft kicks off April 24 in Green Bay.
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