Will Howard wasn't happy with his first day of OTAs this week at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. It wasn't the end of the world to him, but he embraced an opportunity to grow:
"First day was a work in progress," Howard said. "I didn't feel great about my first day, just coming off the field. But it was a good learning experience for me. I wasn't expecting to be perfect on my first day. I'm not going to be perfect. That's the thing. You've gotta learn. Especially me being young, you've gotta be able to roll with the punches and know that you're going to make some mistakes, especially being a rookie. It's how you learn from it, come back from it and don't get affected by that. The second I mess up and then get in my head and shut down, that's when problems happen. I felt like Day 1, just wasn't really comfortable yet, didn't really know where my feet were, was a little off timing. And then Day 2 and 3, I think I've been a lot better."
The adjustment from the college level to the NFL level is complicated and can be a lot to take in for a lot of rookies. Even though Howard is coming from an Ohio State team fresh off a national championship, there's a steep learning curve at this level, even in OTAs.
"The speed of the game, the disguises the defense shows," Howard said. "You look out there and you see Minkah [Fitzpatrick] and DeShon [Elliott] and you don't really know where they're going to. I remember just my first day of rookie minicamp, I remember there was a check. It was a one-high, two-high check. It looked like it was going one-high, but then it went two-high. That kind of stuff is all just different. It all happens a little faster. It's slowed down for me over the course of the last three days, but just gotta continue to keep working and getting used to this level of football and this speed of football. I feel like I played at the highest level of college, so I have a good foundation. But nothing compares to this."
Howard still has a lot of time to get used to the game. However, it's only going to get faster from here. It'll ramp up a lot at training camp, then more during preseason games.
Of course, nothing matches the level of football during the NFL season. It's going to continue to be a learning curve for Howard. But, that's why the Steelers plan for him to be more in a developmental role this year. He gets to learn without being thrust into the spotlight too quickly.
Howard should get a ton a snaps during the preseason, regardless of who's ahead of him on the depth chart. The next few months will be critical for his development, but so will going through the grind of an NFL season, playing or not playing. Going through the daily work in practice and meetings will have an impact, too.
Howard taking this kind of approach is very healthy. The Steelers don't want to put too much on his plate, and he's doing everything he can to be a sponge. Fortunately for him, Mason Rudolph has been a good mentor for him.
"He's been awesome," Howard said. "I just think the vibe in the quarterback room is really cool. Super good dude, super welcoming. Meeting Mason, I knew we'd hit it off, and he's a great dude, man. He's helped me a lot and look forward to continuing to work with him."
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THE ASYLUM
Chris Halicke
6:16 pm - 05.29.2025South SideHoward getting taste of NFL at OTAs
Will Howard wasn't happy with his first day of OTAs this week at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. It wasn't the end of the world to him, but he embraced an opportunity to grow:
"First day was a work in progress," Howard said. "I didn't feel great about my first day, just coming off the field. But it was a good learning experience for me. I wasn't expecting to be perfect on my first day. I'm not going to be perfect. That's the thing. You've gotta learn. Especially me being young, you've gotta be able to roll with the punches and know that you're going to make some mistakes, especially being a rookie. It's how you learn from it, come back from it and don't get affected by that. The second I mess up and then get in my head and shut down, that's when problems happen. I felt like Day 1, just wasn't really comfortable yet, didn't really know where my feet were, was a little off timing. And then Day 2 and 3, I think I've been a lot better."
The adjustment from the college level to the NFL level is complicated and can be a lot to take in for a lot of rookies. Even though Howard is coming from an Ohio State team fresh off a national championship, there's a steep learning curve at this level, even in OTAs.
"The speed of the game, the disguises the defense shows," Howard said. "You look out there and you see Minkah [Fitzpatrick] and DeShon [Elliott] and you don't really know where they're going to. I remember just my first day of rookie minicamp, I remember there was a check. It was a one-high, two-high check. It looked like it was going one-high, but then it went two-high. That kind of stuff is all just different. It all happens a little faster. It's slowed down for me over the course of the last three days, but just gotta continue to keep working and getting used to this level of football and this speed of football. I feel like I played at the highest level of college, so I have a good foundation. But nothing compares to this."
Howard still has a lot of time to get used to the game. However, it's only going to get faster from here. It'll ramp up a lot at training camp, then more during preseason games.
Of course, nothing matches the level of football during the NFL season. It's going to continue to be a learning curve for Howard. But, that's why the Steelers plan for him to be more in a developmental role this year. He gets to learn without being thrust into the spotlight too quickly.
Howard should get a ton a snaps during the preseason, regardless of who's ahead of him on the depth chart. The next few months will be critical for his development, but so will going through the grind of an NFL season, playing or not playing. Going through the daily work in practice and meetings will have an impact, too.
Howard taking this kind of approach is very healthy. The Steelers don't want to put too much on his plate, and he's doing everything he can to be a sponge. Fortunately for him, Mason Rudolph has been a good mentor for him.
"He's been awesome," Howard said. "I just think the vibe in the quarterback room is really cool. Super good dude, super welcoming. Meeting Mason, I knew we'd hit it off, and he's a great dude, man. He's helped me a lot and look forward to continuing to work with him."
Want to participate in our comments?
Want an ad-free experience?
Become a member, and enjoy premium benefits! Make your voice heard on the Steelers, Penguins and Pirates, and hear right back from tens of thousands of fellow Pittsburgh sports fans worldwide! Plus, access all our premium content, including Dejan Kovacevic columns, Friday Insider, daily Live Qs with the staff, more! And yeah, that's right, no ads at all!
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