Shedeur Sanders, a projected first-round lock, didn't hear his name called until day three in the 2025 NFL Draft. Now, Steelers rookie Will Howard is pointing to that exact slide as the reason he fell.

Howard recently went on The Christian Kuntz Podcast, where he broke it all down. He claimed that because a top-ranked prospect like Sanders was still available, teams completely froze. According to Howard, front offices weren't willing to draft other quarterbacks while Shedeur was sitting right there.

Talking to teammate Christian Kuntz, Howard stated, “It was really that whole Shedeur situation, kinda. His sliding really hurt a lot of the other quarterbacks in our class. Just because he was ranked a little higher, so nobody wanted to take guys like me, or Riley Leonard, or Kyle McCord, Quinn Ewers.”

The Steelers QB described it as a massive bottleneck for the entire class. He mentioned quarterbacks Riley Leonard, Kyle McCord, and Quinn Ewers were stuck waiting. Teams constantly re-evaluated their boards instead of selecting the next signal-caller.

The logjam finally broke when Cleveland traded up for Sanders at No. 144. Right after that, Howard and the others were finally picked. Howard went to Pittsburgh as the No. 185 pick.

Insiders like Jordan Schultz and Jeremy Fowler were busy reporting on this chaotic draft floor confusion.

Will Howard’s Collegiate Success vs The Crowded Steelers Room

Considering Howard’s college resume, he led Ohio State to a national title. In that run, he threw for 4,010 yards and 35 touchdowns. His 73 percent completion rate made him one of the draft's most efficient players.

Now, Howard faces a steep climb in Pittsburgh’s quarterback room. The Steelers have also grabbed Drew Allar in the third round of the 2026 draft. Howard, in his 2nd year, now has to compete against a fellow rookie and established veterans to secure his spot on the final roster.

Sheuder Sanders, however, seems unfazed by the low draft position.

As per the New York Jets website, last year, Shedeur Sanders previously stated, "The number where you go don't matter... Like I say I'll reference Tom Brady, because he was the best of the best in all categories. He ain't go first. So the number, the number [you're] picked don't matter."

For Shedeur, the focus remains on his actual performance on the field rather than his specific draft round.

What do you think about Howard's take on the draft slide? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

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Written by

Nisarga Aseem Barkule

Edited by

Rudra Dubey