When new Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy and GM Omar Khan described what they were looking for in a quarterback leading up to the 2026 NFL Draft, they talked about needing a guy who is big, strong, has great arm strength with big hands and could be a true AFC North quarterback.
Turns out, they were describing Penn State’s Drew Allar, whom the Steelers selected in the third round of the draft at No. 76 overall.
That decision opened some eyes as many were surprised Allar went that early. For McCarthy though, he handpicked the guy he had his eyes on all along.
Now, the real work begins with Allar under McCarthy. During rookie minicamp, the Steelers stripped Allar down to the studs and are reportedly rebuilding his mechanics. That might be alarming to some, but McCarthy has a long track record of this.
That’s why ESPN’s Jordan Reid sees Allar as a great fit in Pittsburgh.
“The selling point for Allar is what he could eventually be if a coach can improve his footwork and accuracy issues to match the rest of his tools. Playing under Mike McCarthy puts Allar under the watch of a QB developer whose scheme caters to his skill set,” Reid writes. “Allar’s mechanics will need to be restructured, though; he becomes unsteady under pressure, with erratic decision making in big moments. The Steelers have plenty of leeway to reshape Allar’s game.
“There’s exciting long-term potential if Pittsburgh can make the fixes that Penn State couldn’t.”
Allar has all the tools, there is no denying that. He checks all of the boxes the Steelers said they were looking for. He has a big, strong right arm and can make all the throws. He has the proper frame at 6-5, 240-plus pounds, and he has nearly 10-inch hands.
As an Ohio native and a guy who started multiple years at Penn State, he’s played in the conditions and fits into AFC North football. With all those tools, he projects as a guy who could be a legitimate franchise QB. He just needs the proper coaching.
The belief is, at least internally, that McCarthy is the guy to do that for him.
McCarthy was pretty hands-on at rookie minicamp working with Allar, and that drew rave reviews coming out of the two-day session. There’s still a lot of work to be done, but the development process is underway and Allar is in an ideal situation learning under McCarthy.
Maybe he’ll even get the chance to spend time in the same QB room with a Hall of Famer in Aaron Rodgers this season, too. That will only help.
If it all clicks, Allar could prove to be a major steal and could solve the Steelers’ QB woes. That’s a lot of projecting, but he’s in the right spot at least.
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