The Pittsburgh Steelers drafted Penn State quarterback Drew Allar with the first of their 3 third round picks in the 2026 NFL Draft.
In doing so, Omar Khan and Mike McCarthy continued to stick close to the Steelers 2026 Draft Needs Matrix. Wide receiver was the top need, quarterback their second with offensive tackle coming in third.
Steelers Drew Allar, the Steelers 2026 3rd round pick. Photo Credit: Barry Reeger, AP, via the Post-Gazette.
With their first pick the Steelers drafted offensive tackle Max Iheanachor, in the second round they traded up to take wide receiver Germie Bernard and now in the third round they’ve added a quarterback.
- Just one year ago draft analysist touted Drew Allar as a potential first round prospect.
However, he injured his ankle while scrambling during the 4th quarter of Penn State’s October 11th 22-22 loss to Northwestern. The injury ended his season and cost Allar a chance to make up inconsistent performance which had already caused scouts to question his worthiness of first round status.
Roy Countryman of Big Country Scouting ranked Allar as one of his 4th round value picks, describing him as perhaps “the most enigmatic prospect in this year’s draft class.” Countryman praises Allar’s athletic traits and explains this enigmatic diagnosis this way:
…Is adept between the ears as he can process coverage schemes and reads at a quality rate and is a sturdy presence in the pocket who will stand tall and deliver passes to his receivers….
…What frustrates too often is that you see the flashes of Allar’s high points, but he makes some highly questionable decisions and his accuracy can wane under duress or when he’s out of rhythm. His footwork is a trainwreck, which causes some of his touch issues.
Steelers quarterback’s coach Tom Arth conceded that Allar’s footwork needs attention, while praising the Penn State signal caller as someone with the size and strength for “…playing the physical brand of football that it is in the AFC North.”
Steel City Insider’s Matt C. Steel share with Steel Curtain Rising the he also had Allar pegged as a 4th rounder explaining that he’s “Worth trying to develop his measurables by round four if the rest of these players are off the board.”
Watch Drew Allar Highlights: Steelers 2026 3rd Round Pick
Drew Allar was a three-year starter for the Nittany Lions and went 26-9 career in his 35 starts.
Here’s a look at his highlight reel, where you can see Allar’s impressive arm-strength, mobility and pocket presence on display.
Drew Allar’s flashes are easy to see. The question is whether the Mike McCarthy, Brian Angelichio Tom Arth can transform those flashes into consistent NFL quarterback play.
Does Drew Allar Reshape the Steelers’ 2026 Quarterback Room…?
By drafting Drew Allar, the Steelers have added a third quarterback to their roster in addition to Mason Rudolph and Will Howard. The proverbial “Elephant in the room” is of course Aaron Rodgers‘ absence.
Throughout the off season, the Steelers brass, from Art Rooney II to Omar Khan to Mike McCarthy have expressed optimism on the record that Rodgers will sign with the team. They’ve backed this up with obvious off the record assurances to reporters.
And Tom Arth doubled down on this narrative confirming, “I don’t believe that has any impact on Aaron.”
If Arth is right, that gives the Steelers a numbers problem. Before the draft the idea of having Rodgers backed up by a veteran (Rudolph) and a developmental prospect (Howard) was straightforward.
Now the Steelers have two developmental prospects. Mike McCarthy has already said he can manage the development of two young players simultaneously.
- But keeping 4 quarterbacks present Pittsburgh with a math problem.
Yes, the Steelers have kept 4 quarterbacks twice before. In’95, they kept Neil O’Donnell, Mike Tomczak, Jim Miller and Kordell Stewart. The plan worked well, as all four quarterbacks threw passes that season, and the “Slash” phenomenon helped fuel the 1995 Steelers run to Super Bowl XXX.
Kordell Stewart and Mike Tomlin in the late 1990s.
Moreover, Tomczak, Miller and Stewart all did stints as the Steelers starting QB following O’Donnell’s departure in free agency.
They also kept four quarterbacks at the end of the decade when they carried with Stewart, Tomcazk, Pete Gonzalez and Anthony Wright on their roster for the duration of the 1999 season. But after the ’99 neither Tomcazk, nor Gonzalez nor Wright ever wore a Steelers uniform again.
The Steelers kept 4 quarterbacks in 1995 because of their collective strength, whereas in 1999 it revealed the group’s weakness.
The challenge, for Drew Allar as well as Will Howard isn’t just to force Mike McCarthy into a difficult math problem, but to do so from a position of strength.
