68. Will Howard QB Ohio State
The success of Jayden Daniels, Bo Nix, and Michael Penix in their rookie seasons suggests a trend that NFL teams may be looking at more experienced quarterbacks in the draft. The old wisdom of drafting a young quarterback and letting him develop on the bench has been replaced with a need for a pro-ready player who can step in and play right away.
With that in mind, the Raiders use their first third-round pick on quarterback Will Howard out of Ohio State who has 50 games under his belt. Howard led the Buckeyes to a national title this year and had an incredible season, completing 73% of his passes for 4,010 yards, 35 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He is not the most mobile guy but is powerfully built at 6-foot-4 and 235 pounds and rushed for 226 yards and seven touchdowns in 2024.
Howard is the type of quarterback who can take some punishment and even dish some out himself. He will need to work on what scouts call inconsistent mechanics but he has the intangibles to step in and play right away. The Raiders could also opt for Aidan O’Connell or another veteran quarterback to start the season and then bring in Howard midway through the season to take the starting role for good.