Bleacher Report Suggests New York Jets Draft Big Ten Quarterback in 2025

To say the Aaron Rodgers era with the New York Jets has been a disappointment would be an understatement. Last year was disappointing due to the Week 1 injury. This year, Rodgers has not been the same quarterback that quarterbacked the Green Bay Packers for 15 years and won four MVP award.

Now, after a 3-7 start, Jets fans have begun taking a look at the 2025 NFL draft. According to Tankathon, the Jets are sitting with the fifth-overall pick. Most mock drafts have the team taking a different playmaker at that spot like Will Campbell or Tetairoa McMillan. Depending on how the scouting combine goes, the team could use that first pick on a quarterback like Shedeur Sanders, Cam Ward, or Quinn Ewers.

Bleacher Report has a different take on the quarterback position. Instead of taking one of the top quarterbacks in the class to make an immediate impact, the Jets should take Will Howard, the Ohio State starting quarterback.

Bleacher Report gives its justification as:

The Aaron Rodgers era in New York might not bring the Jets a Super Bowl. Right now, it’s looking like it might not even bring them a playoff berth. But if it helps them get decent quarterback play while they find and develop a successor then the trade to get Rodgers will have been somewhat successful. Will Howard could be the kind of quarterback worth developing. Here’s Dame Parson on what he brings to the table:

‘Will Howard will check the physical boxes for NFL teams. The combination of height, weight, and arm strength will be positive marks in his draft profile. He is a plus-level athlete capable of making plays with his legs. Howard has the arm talent to attack every level of the defense. He has starter tools but expects to start as a backup.'”

Howard has been having a career year in the high-powered Ohio State offense. Through nine games, Howard has led the second-ranked Buckeyes to an 8-1 record with just a one-point loss to the currently top ranked Oregon team on the road. He has thrown for 2,337 yards and a Big Ten-leading 22 touchdowns. Howard is obliterating his previous best completion percentage while completing 74 percent of his passes this year.

Perhaps one of the biggest green flags of Howard’s game is his ability and willingness to take off and make plays as a runner. Thus far, Howard has amassed 122 yards and six touchdowns off 62 carries. While Ohio State has not used him as Urban Meyer did with J.T. Barrett, it trusts Howard to carry the football, as evidenced by the final game-winning drive at Penn State.

In his career, Howard has been a good-not-great quarterback. He is having a renaissance year with the Buckeyes but a question will hang over his head: was Howard this good because he is this good or becuase he was surrounded by one of the top rosters in college football?

Howard is a great game-manager. He is not the quarterback teams will lean on to go out and win the game as Rodgers was with the Packers. Howard is a distributor of the football and has shown off an impressive ability to fit the ball into tight windows this year. He has an NFL-ready body and can keep defenses honest with his legs.

On the flip side, he has some deficiencies. Whether the strength isn’t there or he just doesn’t trust his arm, Howard has historically been average with the deep ball. He’s having a better year this year on passes over 20 yards but he’s throwing to freaks of nature Jeremiah Smith and Emeka Egbuka. Additionally, while he has had an impressive season completing passes, he has at least one or two plays per game, leaving fans incredulous. Whether he tries to force a pass into double coverage or throws the ball backwards to avoid a tackle that bounces to his unaware receiver, Howard has to get better at decision-making.

As of now, Howard is considered a late-round pick. If the Jets think he can be the guy to replace Rodgers, they won’t have to use a premium pick to get him. Even then, is a late-round pick a better option than a top-five pick when it comes to quarterback? Likely, no. Given, Rodgers has gotten his feelings hurt when his team uses a premium pick on a quarterback in the past, perhaps the Jets would try to avoid that.