As the NFL Draft looms a week away, the Pittsburgh Steelers still don't have a clear path for what to do at quarterback.
Former Kansas State signal-caller Will Howard has been bounced around scenarios at the position, from backup to starter to competing with a Draft pick. Howard has remained in the conversation, but the lack of a solidified answer can be nerve-wracking. NFL analyst Louis Riddick, a prominent critic of Howard, still believes the organization should look toward the Draft for its next man under center.
"They have to have some kind of plan for the long-term at this position," Riddick said in a Wednesday segment of Get Up. "They can't always every year, just throw up their hands and go, 'We're kinda stuck in that purgatory type of state where we’re not bad enough to really get a high-round pick, and we don’t have enough ammunition to move up and get the guy that we want.'"
Howard transferred to Ohio State in his senior year after four years with the Wildcats. He had a decent display in Manhattan, KS, throwing for 5,786 yards, 48 touchdowns, and 25 interceptions. Howard won a Big 12 championship in 2022 and was an Honorable Mention for the 2023 Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year. His accolades, while impressive, were not enough to draw any real hype around possible Draft conversations.
And it's why those like Riddick are still hesitant to declare him a franchise - or even short-term - option.
"It doesn’t have to be in the first round that you address this position, either," Riddick said. "What’s to preclude you from saying, 'Maybe we can draft Carson Beck later on. Maybe we draft Garrett Nussmeier and see if we can develop him. See if maybe that’s a better option than Will Howard, who’s in the house right now. I think both of them are, so I don’t think it’s ridiculous at all [to draft a quarterback]."
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