Potential Steelers Target Will Howard Is "Kenny Pickett-ish"; 'Basically A 1-Year Wonder'

It's a forgone conclusion to the Pittsburgh Steelers that drafting Kenny Pickett was a mistake. Even though his offensive coordinator at the time severely underachieved to the point that the team had to fire him, the quarterback did not do himself any favors. It was a shock to many people that he was drafted in the first round ahead of Malik Willis, since Pickett had the lower ceiling -- even though he had the higher floor. After two years, he was traded away so the Steelers could start all over again with a new quarterback room and a new culture. 

One offseason later, the Steelers are once again unsure of who will be their leader. While they are expected to re-sign either Russell Wilson or Justin Fields, some analysts think that they will draft a quarterback, even if it's in the middle rounds. Guys like Will Howard and Quinn Ewers seem to be the passers that are mocked to Pittsburgh the most. 

Analyst Brian Batko made an appearance on the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Sports Now show to talk about the upcoming draft, and he compared one of the young signal-callers to the Steelers' former disgruntled top pick.

"It's a little Kenny Pickett-ish to me. I mean, a fifth-year guy who, you're playing against 18 and 19-year-olds now while you're 22 or 23," Batko said about Howard. "I think that's always an aspect of it, but really successful in his final year, basically a one-year wonder. He was productive at Kansas State, but it was Kansas State; he wasn't playing for the Buckeyes. He's going to get a lot of high marks for the gritty 'gym rat' stuff that Kenny did, so I'll be curious to see where the scouts crystalize on Will Howard."

Before Pickett's final season with the Pittsburgh Panthers, he was seen as a Day 3 pick. However, he dominated in his fifth-year senior season and shot all the way up draft boards. That kind of jump in stats from Year 4 to Year 5 could have even been a red flag, as something like that just doesn't happen overnight.

Howard had that same jump, in fact. The main difference is that he transferred from the Kansas State Wildcats to the Ohio State Buckeyes, who have a lot more talent, while Pickett stayed in Pittsburgh each of his five years. Ohio State has brought in elite receiver after elite receiver, which makes life on a quarterback so much easier.

Howard threw for almost 1,400 more yards in 2024 than in 2023, along with 90 more completions and 11 more touchdowns. The most staggering stat is that his completion percentage shot up from 61.3% to 73%. That is not normal at all, and that kind of boost does not come from a simple mechanical tweak.

Steelers Need To Do Their Research On Howard Before Championship Season

The Steelers could draft him as a Plan B in case they don't get their guy in 2026, along with the ability to be a high-end backup, but the Steelers should not see him as the long-term option. That massive jump from 2023 to 2024 is likely unsustainable and should be taken with a grain of salt.

Even then, a team typically does not want to use a third-round pick on a guy that is expected to be a career backup. They could easily find one of those in the later rounds and use that Day 2 pick to reinforce another position like the secondary or even running back. Why not go for someone like Tyler Shough instead?

The Steelers currently do not have the high-flying dynamic offense that Howard got accustomed to at Ohio State. Even with the elite talent of George Pickens, there is no guarantee that he will catch everything that is thrown in his general direction. Howard wouldn't have that safety blanket to rely on anymore.

What do you think about Howard being compared to Pickett? Let us know in the comments or on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.

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