For all the hoopla that goes into the NFL combine, especially for the quarterbacks looking to create some buzz as the draft quickly approaches, there comes a time when some of the performances are a bit overblown. This past weekend, Will Howard was the one taking all the heat, but he still received support from many, including Sheduer Sanders. 

The former Ohio State and Kansas State passer did not have the best throwing session in front of NFL scouts and GM’s, but it’s certainly not the end of the world for the national championship-winning quarterback. 

While social media had a field-day with clips of Will Howard overthrowing receivers and missing on a number of 15-yard slants across the middle, the reality is that none of this will really matter in a few weeks when he gets the opportunity to throw to receivers he has a connection with in Columbus at Ohio State’s pro-day. 

I get it though. It’s a yearly tradition to find a few players that did not perform up to par and crucify them on media platforms to get engagement. Guess what? The on-field workouts are not the most important thing that transpires at the NFL combine. Heck, it might be the fourth most important aspect of a player’s time in Indianapolis, behind measurements, 40-time and interviews. 

Have we forgotten what Will Howard did just over two months ago for Ohio State? Did his performances against Tennessee, Oregon, Texas and Notre Dame just fall off the radar? 

I know, this is different because Howard is looking to up his draft stock, hoping to be taken on the second or third day next month in Green Bay. But it’s not as if this is an easy event for the championship quarterback, given that he’s throwing to receivers that he hasn’t played with before, and probably met for the first time in Indianapolis. 

Go back and look at the tape of him throwing dimes to Jeremiah Smith, Emeka Egbuka or Carnell Tate in the college football playoff, then try to explain how he’s going to be some kind of bust at the next level because of one performance at the NFL combine. We obviously don’t know how he’s going to translate at the next level, but he’s proven that he can lead a football team, especially when he has the time to develop a relationship and timing with his receiving core. 

And no, I’m not implying that he’s going to be some first or second round draft pick. But I am saying that we sometimes take these combine performances way too seriously, when at the end of the day he might’ve just had communication problems. 

One of those quarterbacks who was in Indianapolis this past week, but didn’t throw, was Shedeur Sanders, who had a reasonable take on the performance from Will Howard. 

Sheduer Sanders Comes To The Defense Of Will Howard

While former Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders did not throw at the combine this past weekend, he does understand what it’s like throwing to receivers that he doesn’t have a relationship with. Did you notice how many different players Colorado put on the field with Sanders when his father took the job at Boulder? 

Taking to social media following the negativity surrounding Will Howard’s performance at the combine, the sure-fire NFL Draft prospect made it clear that it’s not easy just taking the field and trying to be on the same page with guys you don’t know or have thrown to before. 

“I don’t understand y’all hating on @whoward_ he just won a natty,” Sanders wrote on X. “It’s hard to throw to WR’s that you don’t know, everyone run routes different!”

When it comes to how he performed on the field, and what’s next for the former Ohio State quarterback, Will Howard noted that while he had a ‘decent’ day on the field in Indianapolis, he’s excited to throw in front of NFL scouts once again at the Buckeyes pro-day.

“I felt decent. I’m my own biggest critic, so I feel like there were some things I could clean up,” Howard mentioned following his session. “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.”

So, while he garnered social media reactions for a number of throws that didn’t hit the mark, it’s his next session that we should be paying close attention to. 

And guess who will be there in Columbus catching passes? Guys that he has relationships with and knows how they run routes, like Jeremiah Smith and Emeka Egbuka. 

While he most likely won’t be a starting quarterback in the NFL next season, Will Howard has shown enough on the field leading Ohio State to a national championship that one weekend of negativity is not going to fluster him. 

Did you see what he did after losing to Michigan this past season?