Will Howard Reveals Girlfriend's Text, Reaction to Shedeur Defending Him from Trolls

After his subpar performance at the NFL Scouting Combine, Ohio State quarterback Will Howard faced a wave of scrutiny online, but he had no idea until he received a text from his girlfriend.

Howard explained to ESPN's Elizabeth Merrill that the first text he saw after a flight from the combine to Minnesota was his girlfriend Skyler Skoglund asking him, "Are you all right?"

While Howard initially thought everything was OK, he then received a screenshot of a tweet from Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders defending him against online trolls:

In his confusion, Howard texted his agent, Chase Callahan, and asked, "Am I getting hated on right now?"

Indeed, Howard was criticized for overthrowing receivers in a viral video that drew the wrong type of attention.

Despite the disappointing performance, Howard's confidence isn't shaken. The 23-year-old, who is ranked as the No. 3 quarterback in this year's class by B/R's NFL Scouting Department, told Merrill that he believes he has what it takes to be a starting quarterback in the NFL.

"I believe I'm the best quarterback in this class," he said. "I think there's unbelievable talent. But if you're going to be a competitor, at the end of the day, you have to have that belief in yourself, and I think that's what helps me get through those adverse times."