Former NFL executive and current ESPN analyst Louis Riddick made a claim that will ruffle the feathers of the Will Howard fan club. He thinks Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson is better than Howard, and it's not even close.
"I like Will Howard ," Riddick said during a recent segment on NFL Live . "I don't like Will Howard as much as Ty Simpson . I don't even think they're in the same stratosphere as far as their ability to throw the football. Based upon how the latter half of his season went, which wasn't all on him, the guy is banged up, the offensive line is very inconsistent, the running game was non-existent, and the wide receiver corps is up and down from week to week.
"Then, he turns it around in the playoffs against Oklahoma and brings his team back from a 17-point deficit. He's tailor-made for Mike McCarthy 's system, and Mike has coached some good quarterbacks. I don't think he's a reach at 21, and I do think he's gonna go before that."
Tom Pelissero of NFL Network also thinks Pittsburgh is currently too far down the 2026 NFL Draft board to land Simpson at No. 21 overall .
"I still believe, not just that he goes in the first, I believe Ty Simpson most likely goes in the top half of the first round," Pelissero said on The Rich Eisen Show . "And remember, with four teams holding multiple first-round picks, there are times that teams look at that and go, 'We've kind of got an extra one to play with here. We can get an instant impact from one and maybe a developmental starter from another.'"
Ty Simpson, Alabama Athletics
Steelers general manager Omar Khan revealed at the NFL Combine that the Steelers like what they have in second-year quarterback Will Howard . But all options remain on the table at the quarterback position.
"We all agree that we're looking for that next franchise guy. We're not there yet. We may have a guy on the roster, we don't know, in Will. We're excited to work with Will. We know that it has to be addressed. We're all looking for the same thing, we're just not there yet," Khan said.
Howard, a sixth-round draft pick out of Ohio State in 2025, suited up for just one game in his rookie campaign. He played zero snaps. Howard sustained a fractured right (throwing) hand pinky finger early in training camp. The injury caused him to miss the entire preseason and started the season on injured reserve. He was activated on Nov. 12.
Despite Howard not seeing in action in 2025, the Steelers see a ton of upside in the Downingtown, Pa. native.
"We're excited to work with Will. Coach McCarthy, he's talked about how much he liked Will coming out," Khan said. "Him and I have spent time watching his practice tape. Obviously, we didn't have the ability to watch him in games, which would have been good. He got hurt in the preseason. But we watched all the practice tape, we've seen the progression and there's some exciting stuff to see."
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now : Former NFL Executive Explains Why Ty Simpson Is Superior to Will Howard
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