If popular media and analysts are correct, Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders will dominate the quarterback hierarchy in the 2025 NFL Draft. But if you ask Jon Gruden, there’s a hidden gem lurking just beneath the surface. He’s got his sights set on a different quarterback—Will Howard, who is 6’4″, 236 pounds, quick and strong-armed.
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During Gruden’s latest conversation with the Ohio State Buckeyes star on Barstool Sports, the 61-year-old stunned Howard by likening him to the reigning NFL MVP. “You’re like a young Josh Allen.” And he wasn’t just tossing that out casually. He meant it.
Gruden then listed the similarities between the Ohio star and Allen, highlighting their similar size, play style, and even their ability to open up a game with a single play.
“How the hell do people not like you as the No. 1 QB in the draft?” Gruden asked with disbelief. “Didn’t you win the national title?” He did. And Howard did it with highlight-reel plays that looked straight out of Allen’s Wyoming days—read options, pin-and-pulls and bulldozing runs.
“26 career rushing touchdowns. You had a 71-yard run… That’s like Saquon Howard,” he said, inventing a nickname on the fly.
For context, Josh Allen wasn’t even a top-five pick back in 2018. He went seventh overall, behind Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, and Josh Rosen. Only one [maybe two] of those QBs is still relevant, and he just won the MVP. So maybe, just maybe, Gruden sees a familiar path for Howard: underhyped now, unstoppable later.
We may be witnessing the second coming of Josh Allen in Will Howard @BarstoolGruden @whoward_ pic.twitter.com/UvHaZyFtxW
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) April 7, 2025
While many fans were stoked to see a Josh Allen-esque talent coming through the college football ranks, others couldn’t help but point out that Howard’s sample size is too small to justify Gruden’s take. “Ummmmm little early for that you think?” argued a netizen. “That’s [a] big statement, Allen is one of one!” chimed in another.
That said, Gruden’s comparison of the Ohio State star to the NFL MVP was music to the ears of Browns fans. Why so? Because now, they wouldn’t regret picking Hunter over Shedeur because they can draft Will Howard at 33 if the stars align.
And truth be told, drafting Hunter or Carter alongside a QB like Howard will be sensational from Cleveland’s point of view. Not only will they secure one of the best talents of this draft class, but they will also get a composed and poised QB as their talisman.
“I still don’t understand how the Browns don’t grab him at 33 after getting Travis Hunter at 2. There is not one thing that Milroe does better than Howard,” pondered a fan.
Some Browns fans reminded their front office not to let the 23-year-old Ohio star go off their grips, just like Jimmy Haslam & Co. did in the 2018 Draft when they signed Baker Mayfield as No. 1 over Josh Allen. “We missed Josh Allen. Let’s not make the same mistake twice. Will. Howard. Browns QB,” said a Cleveland supporter.
As revered as Jon Gruden is in the NFL world, let’s also not forget that he was the same guy who likened Johnny Manziel to Steve Young, and we all know how that ended up. So, is Will Howard the next Josh Allen? That’s a big shoe to fill.
As things stand, most analysts see his ceiling as a third-rounder. But hey—stranger things have happened in the draft. After all, just a few years ago, a certain Mr. Irrelevant by the name of Brock Purdy took the 49ers to the Super Bowl. So, never say never!
