Shedeur Sanders had a message for everyone about Ohio State QB Will Howard on Sunday.
Howard, Ohio State’s national title-winning quarterback, had an up-and-down time at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. Howard, who began his career at Kansas State before transferring to Ohio State, missed some wide receivers during his throwing portion at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The former Buckeyes and Wildcats quarterback, who is considered a second or third round NFL Draft prospect, missed some easy throws, but hit some hard ones.
While Howard, 23, took some heat on social media for his performance, Sanders came to his defense.
“I don’t understand y’all hating on Will Howard,” Sanders posted on X.
“He just won a natty. It’s hard to throw to WR’s that you don’t know, everyone run routes different !”
It can be tough throwing at the NFL Scouting Combine to wide receivers you’re not familiar with. That’s one of the reasons why Sanders chose to skip the workouts at the NFL Scouting Combine and throw at his Pro Day in Colorado instead.
Howard received both boos and cheers for his performance on Saturday.
“I heard them, I heard them,” Howard said during an interview with NFL Network after his throwing session wrapped up. “Ohio State travels. We’re loved and we’re hated.”
Howard received mixed reviews for his throwing session, as he at times struggled with his footwork and his accuracy. He’ll obviously need to perform better at his Pro Day in Columbus.
National Champion Will Howard completes the pass and gets a big applause 👏
📺: #NFLCombine on @NFLNetwork
📱: Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/gzjTWa2y30— NFL (@NFL) March 1, 2025
“I felt decent,” Howard said. “I’m my own biggest critic, so I feel like there were some things I could clean up. But overall, I think I showed that I can spin the ball with the best. And I felt good about it. And I think my footwork was pretty solid. And I’m excited for my pro day to show that I can spin it a little more.”
Ohio State is scheduled to have its Pro Day in Columbus on March 26. That’ll be a big one for Howard’s NFL Draft stock as we approach April.
