The Steelers have not heard if Aaron Rodgers will play a 22nd season, and while they expect to hear from their 2025 starter that he will return soon, another quarterback is heading to Pittsburgh. Penn State quarterback Drew Allar, who visited with the team this month, is going to the Steelers at No. 76 overall as the fourth QB off the board.
Allar is a clear development pick; he didn’t even start playing quarterback until high school. At 6-foot-5, 230 pounds, Allar boasts a prototypical frame reminiscent of the late 2000’s and 2010’s battles between Ben Roethlisberger and Joe Flacco. He has a decent arm and above average mobility for a passer his size, rushing for 732 yards and 12 touchdowns at Penn State. The Nittany Lions went 26-9 with Allar as the starter under center.
After coming off the bench as a true freshman, Allar’s first year as a starter drew interesting results. The highlights saw elite discipline as he threw for 25 touchdowns and only two interceptions, but those results came with a 59.9% completion rate and only 202.4 passing yards per game. He improved greatly in his second year as the starter, increasing his completion percentage to 66.5, but in three more games, he threw one fewer touchdown and eight interceptions while averaging just 207.9 yards per game. His final year in Happy Valley got off to a rough start. When a broken ankle ended his season, the Nittany Lions were 3-3 and Allar was averaging just 183.3 yards per game.
The production never quite matched the potential or the physical tools for Allar. He showed an ability to make anticipatory throws and read a defense with efficiency. His low interception rate was a benefit but really came as a result of a conservative passing approach, leading too often to second-guessing and active scrambling. The lack of accuracy stemmed from a lack of consistency on drop backs, messy footwork, and a lack of touch to layer throws. A perceived lack of chemistry with his receiving weapons was considered a factory for Allar’s inability to produce big plays.
If there’s anybody who can develop the production out of a quarterback that has oozed potential for four years, its new Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy. Ideally, Rodgers does return to start as expected, allowing Allar to sit and develop while learning from McCarthy and a four-time MVP. If Rodgers doesn’t end up back in Pittsburgh, Allar should have an opportunity to compete for a role in the hierarchy with fellow Steelers’ draft picks Mason Rudolph and Will Howard.
Ely Allen contributed to this post.
Now this pic makes me happy. He is definitely our new quarterback for the future. Let’s go Steelers. Renegade baby.
Great value pick
I would not have touched this guy on day 2. He has talent, but he needs such an overhaul as a player. I would have drafted Nussmeier over him in a heartbeat.
Yeah, I loved the Bernard pick, but I really don’t like this one.
Unless Howard looks MUCH worse than we think, I don’t see why Pittsburgh would make another developmental QB pick here. That’s even if Allar impressed me this past year, which he did not.
I’m not much of a Howard believer, but there are still too many actual good players still on the board to take Allar. I do like Bernard, though. He might not ever be a good fantasy football player, but barring injury, I’d be very surprised if he isn’t a solid contributor in real football.
I mean, I’m with you. I just see the two as redundant, especially with the Steelers’ needs being what they are.
Khan seems to have made some good non-draft moves this offseason, but the Steelers feel like they need one of those player stocking drafts where they load up on great value contributors at core positions, not take a third round flier on a guy who’s mostly been a name in his college career. They have good placeholders around the team, but they need to start stocking up on youth to refill the player pipelines that the Steelers used to have.
Agreed. But also I would approve if it were Nussmeier. I think he has much more shot to be something, even if it’s just a backup.
I’m with you on that, too.
I love this Dunker pick, though. So, if this pattern holds, the next Steelers pick is going to be an absolute head scratcher.
He can look like an NFL QB all he wants but MAN never once did I see a Penn State football and leave saying he looked like the prospect he was lauded to be coming into college. Shrunk in every big moment. There was such better value at this pick.
Allar’s family is season ticket holders for the Browns😂
Those poor people having to watch the Browns and also Drew Allar all these years.
Cold blooded, lmao
Allar is the most talented quarterback in this draft and the issues he had at Penn State were not really all his fault. He was surrounded by very bad receivers that could not catch a football for 4 years
So this is a very good pick and in a few years could end up being the best quarterback pick in this draft if he’s given the opportunity to show his talent
Another QB from a Pennsylvania college that the Steelers drafted too soon. Cue the definition of insanity, please.