Most consider Drew Allar to be a project at quarterback. Even though he possesses all the physical tools to be successful, the inconsistencies and fundamentals are what led to his ultimate drop to the third round. Mike McCarthy, who has proven to be somewhat of a quarterback whisperer during his career, saw enough in Allar to bring him to Pittsburgh. Now, after taking the field for the first time as a Steeler at rookie minicamp, Allar is focused on his own development instead of the outside noise that comes naturally with any young quarterback’s arrival.
“It’s about learning what I need to get better at right now and focusing on those things,” Allar said via the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “And then, once we hit the summer session, making sure I’m continuing to stay on top of those things and then when we get the training camp, get the ball rolling as a team. So right now it’s just really focusing on the fundamentals and not really caring about where I am at in terms of depth chart stuff.”
Allar was the only quarterback at rookie minicamp this year, a departure from the norm. The team wanted to get Allar as many reps as possible. While rumors continue to swirl about the impending arrival of Aaron Rodgers, McCarthy and the rest of the Steelers organization are solely focused on their rookie quarterback, at least for this weekend as rookie minicamp winds down. Soon, the calendar will flip to minicamp and OTAs and the rest of the roster will hit the practice field. But it sounds like Allar is well aware of what he needs to work.
From the videos and images that have emerged from Saturday’s practice, McCarthy and QB Coach Tom Arth worked closely with Allar and his footwork was one of the focal points of his coaching.
“For me right now it’s just a lot of, with my lower half, just cleaning up footwork, getting used to the terminology that they’re talking about and that’s incorporated with this offense because it’s a little bit different than what I’ve been used to,” Allar said via Steelers.com. “I just got to take it one day at a time and find ways to be more consistent at it and improve on it each day.”
Footwork was one of the main criticisms of Allar’s college tape by draft analysts. Some believe that it was a result of a poor offensive system at Penn State and if that is the case, proper coaching at the NFL level may have a massive impact on not only Allar’s footwork but his overall game.
The good news for the Steelers is that there is no rush for Allar to play any time soon. A year of development, starting with the fundamentals, could be exactly what Allar needs. McCarthy has demonstrated his ability to develop quarterbacks and if Rodgers can act as a mentor, similar to the way he did last season with Will Howard, it’s reasonable to expect that the Steelers can maximize Allar’s potential.
The question remains: Is that enough for Allar to take advantage of his physical tools and become a starting quality quarterback? Time will tell. But so far, he is saying all the right things.
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