Steelers QB Will Howard Got His Wish Come True on Draft Night
Will Howard spoke it into existence. Waiting to learn where his NFL home would be last Saturday, the now-former Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback sat and hoped he’d be heading to the Pittsburgh Steelers. NFL Films’ “Hey Rookie: Welcome to the NFL” caught Howard’s draft sequence as he begged for general manager Omar Khan to take him.
“Please pick me, please. Please pick me, Pittsburgh,” Howard said, sitting on his couch surrounded by family and friends.
The shot cuts to Howard answering a phone call and being elated to hear the Steelers on the other end, letting him know they were granting his wishes by taking him with a sixth-round choice. Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin congratulated Howard and his family on the accomplishment.
“All Eagles fans, but now they’re gonna be some damn Steelers fans in this world,” Will Howard said.
As he watched his name get called on television, Howard’s face turned red with excitement, laughter, and maybe even tears. He eventually went outside and did a front flip off a diving board and into his backyard pool.
“It’s been long, but I’m not going to lie, it’s not about when, it’s where,” Howard said during a conference call after being chosen. “And that was what I kept saying to myself. And I had to trust in God and believe that He had a plan for me, and that the right team was going to pick me, and I think 100% the right team picked me.
“The Steelers, I feel like, is an organization that I’ve had a lot of respect for a lot of years, and coming into this process, I was honestly hoping that the Steelers would take me, just because I felt like it was a great situation.”