Will Howard, QB Kansas State: 2024 NFL Draft Profile
Howard was a three-star recruit from Downingtown West High School in Downingtown, Pa. in the class of 2020
Kansas State quarterback Will Howard isn’t in one of the top quarterback tiers for the 2024 NFL Draft, but he could hear his name called on day three. How he finishes this season will determine how high he can climb in the draft process.
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Will Howard, QB Kansas State: 2024 NFL Draft Profile
Classification: Senior quarterback from Downingtown, Pa.
Background: Howard was a three-star recruit from Downingtown West High School in Downingtown, Pa. in the class of 2020. He was the No. 888 recruit according to 247Sports and No. 959 for On3.com. Howard was an unranked three-star recruit for Rivals and an unranked three-star recruit for ESPN with a 76 grade out of 100. He threw for 5,308 yards and 48 touchdowns in high school, including 2,543 yards and 27 touchdowns as a senior. He led Downingtown West to a 13-2 record and the state semifinals as a senior and helped the school win its first district title since 1996. Howard totaled 512 rushing yards and 21 rushing touchdowns with Downingtown West. He earned All-Southeastern Pennsylvania Player of the Year honors from the Philadelphia Inquirer, was a Pennsylvania Football Writers All-State selection, and was the Maxwell Football Club Pennsylvania Player of the Year as a senior. Howard also earned All-Area honors twice and scored more than 1,000 points during his high school basketball career. He was born on Sept. 24, 2001.
Injuries & Off-Field: Missed some time mid-game versus TCU (2022)
Awards: 2021 & 2022 First Team Academic All-Big 12
Pros: Excellent size, compact throwing motion and quick release, changes arm slots and release speed as needed, steps up in the pocket to avoid edge rushers, quick to flip his hips and get aligned for throws, some examples of working through full-field reads with good timing, drives the ball to throw darts over the MOF, ball placement leads pass catchers away from the defenders, flashes of putting the ball where only the receiver can get it, nice touch on intermediate and deep throws, beautiful 45-yard throw with excellent touch against Oklahoma State (2022), enough mobility to break the pocket and extend plays, buys enough time to find the open man when pressured, some power to move the pile on sneaks
Cons: Fumbled five times in 2020 and four times in 2022, feet look heavy in the pocket, doesn’t throw off a consistent base, toesy going into his throwing motion, takes an unnecessary hop when throwing which limits power from his base, questionable arm talent, underthrows open deep receivers, wish throws outside the numbers arrived with a little more velocity, some of his outside passes die before reaching their targets, has more wobbly passes than expected, struggles delivering catch-able balls on short passes, ball placement and accuracy on throws behind the LOS is poor, ball placement is low, inaccurate throwing on the move, stares down targets, occasionally locks onto a receiver and throws it no matter what, still developing control of the pocket as he sometimes retreats instead of stepping up, mental clock needs to speed up, panics and makes poor decisions when he sees the pass rush coming, needs to take sacks instead of forcing the ball while under pressure, doesn’t have the speed to outrun edge rushers, not a big run threat, limited agility to make defenders miss in space
Overview: Howard pairs NFL size with a compact throwing motion and quick release. He alters his arm slots and release speed as needed. Howard displayed improved pocket awareness in 2022 but needs to continue developing in this area. The senior has some examples of working through full-field reads with good timing. He drives the ball into small windows over the middle of the field. Howard’s ball placement leads pass catchers away from the defenders. Several times he put the ball where only his target could reach it, leading to big plays. Howard applies nice touch on intermediate and deep throws. He has enough mobility to break the pocket and buy time for receivers to get open, but he lacks the mobility to make defenders miss in space. Edge rushers are more than fast enough to run Howard down from behind. The former three-star recruit’s feet look heavy in the pocket, and he doesn’t throw from a consistent base. Howard gets toesy going into his throwing motion and sometimes takes an unnecessary hop when throwing, which limits the power from his base. Despite his size and frame, the Pennsylvania native’s arm talent is questionable. He underthrows open deep receivers and doesn’t drive the ball into tight windows outside the numbers. Some of his outside passes die before reaching their targets or don’t arrive with enough zip. Howard struggles to throw catchable balls on short passes. His throws behind the line of scrimmage feature poor ball placement and accuracy. Howard is inaccurate on the move and doesn’t offer upside as an off-platform creator. The Kansas State quarterback occasionally puts the ball in harm’s way by staring down targets. Howard panics and makes poor decisions when he sees the pass rush coming. His ball security and processing speed must improve.
Overall, Howard has NFL size and an improving pocket presence, but his arm talent, ball placement on short throws, and processing aren’t on the levels of a top 100 selection. Howard needs to show significant development in 2023 to be viewed as a potential early-career contributor at the next level.
Role & Scheme Fit: Pocket passer in a spread offensive scheme
Round Projection: Late Sixth to Early Seventh
Size: 6'5", 242 lbs. (Unofficial)
Submitted: 05-27-23