Jon Gruden compares Will Howard to Josh Allen ahead of 2025 NFL draft

Will Howard was a dominant force in his only season at Ohio State, completing 73% of his passing attempts for 4,010 yards and 35 touchdowns and rushing 105 times for another 226 and seven. As such, Jon Gruden has a very lofty comparison for him.

In the 2025 season premiere of his eponymous QB Class, the former NFL head coach and current Barstool Sports analyst likened the quarterback prospect to reigning MVP Josh Allen - both being 6'4", 237-lb. dual-threat players:

The next episodes will cover the following players:

• April 9: Riley Leonard, Notre Dame
• April 14: Seth Henigan, Memphis
• April 16: Kyle McCord, Syracuse
• April 21: Quinn Ewers, Texas
• April 23: Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss

Some of the latest draft projections have Will Howard going to the New Orleans Saints, beginning with ESPN's Field Yates, who opines that he could be a better successor to the embattled Derek Carr than fifth-round sophomore Spencer Rattler.

NFL.com's Chad Reuter, meanwhile, has this decision happening in the fourth round. And The Draft Network's Justin Melo concurs with the notion, despite praising his physical tools:

"Inconsistent mechanics and accuracy will likely prevent Howard from being a top-64 pick, offering a franchise like the Saints intriguing mid-round value."

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Josh Allen's Bills named another potential landing spot for Will Howard

Going back to the Will Howard-Josh Allen comparisons, is the former Buckeye likely to join the team of the man he is being compared to? Sports Illustrated's Anthony Moeglin thinks so, given that the Bills are still in win-now mode and need a more capable backup than Shane Buechele, Mitch Trubisky, and Mike White.

It is a similar situation to the Detroit Lions, who could use better insurance for Jared Goff than Kyle Allen, Jake Fromm, and Hendon Hooker.

More viable starting opportunities, meanwhile exist in two teams in the Pacific Time Zone. First is the Las Vegas Raiders, where he will get to reunite with Chip Kelly, his OC in Columbus. Will Howard could go off the board in Round 3 or 4 and study the game behind Geno Smith, who has signed a two-year, $75-million extension.

The same notion shall arise with the Los Angeles Rams, who can have him develop behind Matthew Stafford for the first two years of his career, then potentially take over when the former Super Bowl champion becomes a free agent and is not extended.