There may not be a franchise-type quarterback in this class behind Fernando Mendoza, but the Steelers should take a swing. That’s the philosophy of Doug Whaley, a former NFL GM, and is not an uncommon one. In fact, it’s one we’ve heard others say regarding the Steelers after Ben Roethlisberger retired. Keep swinging the bat until you hit a homerun, the theory goes, and Whaley wants Pittsburgh to swing.
“Absolutely. Why not throw it in the mix?”, he said on 93.7 The Fan when asked if the Steelers should draft a quarterback, even in the middle rounds. “If you hit, that’s great. If you don’t, oh well, but give it a shot. Because guess what? You miss all the shots that you don’t take. And a guy, if you have something you can hang your hat on and develop, you’re either gonna have a solid backup on a rookie deal or a guy that’s gonna transcend and be your next quarterback”.
The Steelers have drafted three quarterbacks since Roethlisberger retired, most notably Kenny Pickett in the first round in 2022. That worked so unspectacularly that they traded him after two seasons—even if by his request. But he requested the trade because he didn’t think he would be starting, so there you go. That same year, they also drafted Chris Oladokun in the seventh round, who didn’t even make the practice squad.
Most recently, the Steelers used a sixth-round draft pick on a quarterback last year for Will Howard. Despite the fact that he hasn’t even played in a preseason game yet, he has a whole hype train behind him. He may have been the only player under contract for 2026 mentioned by name by new Steelers HC Mike McCarthy. Whaley doesn’t think they should put all their eggs in one basket, though, and an extra quarterback is not wasteful.
“Another option is, you’re gonna have a tradeable asset if you find another guy”, he said of the Steelers using a draft pick on a quarterback two years in a row. “If [Will] Howard ends up being the guy and Drew Allar is his backup, than Drew Allar, you can use that piece to trade to get something else to help your team. It’s just such a rare commodity. If you can get one, try it and see what happens”.
Once hyped as a potential first-round quarterback, Penn State QB Drew Allar was having an unspectacular senior year before he suffered a season-ending injury. Over his college career, he completed 633 of 1,002 attempts for 7,402 yards with 61 touchdowns to 13 interceptions. Last season, over six games, he went 103-for-159 for 1,100 yards with 8 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. But should he, or any other quarterback, be on the Steelers’ draft board?
Mind you, Pittsburgh still has not just Will Howard, but also Mason Rudolph—and even Skylar Thompson. Granted, of the three, Howard is the only one you would say has “upside”, a sufficiently vague term. If the Steelers were to draft a Drew Allar, what would that do to the quarterback room? Well, I suppose they would have to compete, wouldn’t they? And Pittsburgh does have 12 draft picks this year. Hell, let’s not forget they drafted two quarterbacks in 2022. I did until I got to this line and went back to add in Chris Oladokun above (don’t tell anyone).
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