The Pittsburgh Steelers raised plenty of eyebrows on Day 2 of the 2026 NFL Draft, selecting quarterback Drew Allar at No. 12 in Round 3 (No. 76 overall). It was a pick that felt aggressive, especially with Allar coming off an injury-shortened season and entering a room that already featured second-year quarterback Will Howard and veteran backup Mason Rudolph.
The context makes it even more complicated. Aaron Rodgers is still widely expected to sign with Pittsburgh as a short-term bridge starter, but that move has not happened yet. That leaves the Steelers in a strange middle ground. They are planning for the future while still waiting for clarity in the present.
Why Analysts Are Questioning the Steelers’ Selection of Drew Allar
Pittsburgh clearly needed a long-term answer under center, but this move leaned heavily into projection. Allar became the fourth quarterback off the board behind Fernando Mendoza, Ty Simpson, and Carson Beck, despite a profile that still carries significant developmental questions. Add in the Steelers’ well-documented tendency to favor players with Pennsylvania ties, and this selection felt like a blend of familiarity and upside swing rather than a clean value play.
“You’re up on why these Steelers made a bone-headed decision,” started PFSN’s “Football Debate Club” show host Cam Mellor.
That tone carried into the evaluation of the pick itself, with concerns centered on both timing and readiness. Allar’s tools are undeniable, but the gap between flashes and consistency remains wide. According to PFSN’s CFB QB Impact Metrics, he posted a C+ grade with a 78.6 score through six games before being sidelined for seven contests with an ankle injury.
“Bone-headed is a word,” said PFSN NFL draft analyst Ian Cummings. “I know I rank these guys poorly, and then I kind of watered down my analysis. Drew Allar is very compelling, a prototypical frame, elite arm strength, the velocity pops. I mean, the ball launches off of his hand. He’s got very, very compelling angle, freedom, and arm elasticity as well, but everything else is less compelling.”
That contrast is what makes this pick so polarizing. The Steelers are betting on traits over tape, doing so earlier than many evaluators were comfortable.
It also creates an awkward timeline. If Rodgers does sign, Allar is clearly a developmental stash. If he does not, the pressure to accelerate that timeline increases significantly.
“I think the processing, there are flashes of anticipation and no identification. But here’s the thing, his mechanics to me, and I’ve argued this in my report, I think he needs to rebuild his mechanics almost from the ground up,” Cummings added.
Allar’s High Ceiling Meets Major Developmental Risk
The scouting profile backs up that concern. Per the PFSN scouting report, Allar is “perhaps the most quintessential ‘prototypical QB’ in the 2026 NFL Draft,” boasting a 6-foot-5, 235-pound frame, elite arm strength, and the mobility to operate off-platform. He also led Penn State to a College Football Playoff semifinal and compiled a 26-9 record as a starter.
But the same report highlights the volatility in his game. His accuracy runs hot and cold, his mechanics border on liability level, and he lacks the rushing ability to consistently escape trouble. The report also notes that his mechanics “need to be rebuilt from the ground up before he can take live reps reliably.”
That aligns with concerns from PFSN NFL draft analyst Jacob Infante, who questioned whether the player matches the idea.
“I think the idea of drew Allen is much better than he actually is,” Infante said. “And I’m a little bummed out that he got hurt in 2025 he didn’t have as much of a chance to prove that he’s improved at all.”
Even with the physical tools, the inconsistency shows up too often on tape, especially when it comes to decision-making and reading the field.
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“It’s just accuracy is wildly inconsistent, you know, to just too many bone edge decisions,” Infante added. “I don’t trust his ability to consistently make full field reads and find the open man.”
There is still a path for this pick to work. If Pittsburgh and head coach Mike McCarthy can develop Allar properly, the upside is real.
