PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers have not signed Aaron Rodgers to a long awaited and rumored deal, instead signing former Steeler Mason Rudolph to a deal. On top of that, they also decided to pick Ohio State quarterback Will Howard with their sixth round selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.

This decision has been met with both criticism and praise, with many believing that the Steelers have not done enough to fix their quarterback woes and others very impressed with what they have seen in Howard.

One person who has issued his fair share of praise has been former NFL head coach Jon Gruden. Gruden had Howard on his QB’s Camp series, displaying Howard’s personality and his football IQ. That alone had many people interested in Howard.

It goes without saying that his leadership of Ohio State through the College Football Playoff to become National Champions certainly helped, despite Howard not being the star of the team. He did, however, win the Offensive MVP Award for the Championship Final, despite the running back tandem of Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson and wide receiver corps being more talked about throughout the season.

Now, Gruden has spoken on Howard again, claiming that the Steelers have gotten a steal by selecting him in the sixth round. On an appearance on the Siruis XM NFL Radio channel during the Senior Bowl Hall of Fame induction ceremonies, Gruden had a chance to speak on Howard once again

“I’ll go on record here,” Gruden said. “The Pittsburgh Steelers got a steal in Will Howard. That guy is a stud.”

Gruden has been unafraid to praise the quarterback despite teams not taking him until late in the draft. Whether concerns of his play are founded in reality or if he will be an NFL star is yet to be seen, as rookie camp has yet to start.