The Pittsburgh Steelers took a look at their quarterback room and decided that Penn State’s Drew Allar would be a good addition. On Friday night in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Steelers picked Allar in the third round.
While the NFL world observed what the Steelers did regarding Allar, not all reactions to the pick were positive. Some people even pointed out that Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett must not have impressed the Steelers much.
Steelers Picking Drew Allar Draws Reactions from NFL World
Nick Shook, who writes for NFL.com, shared his thoughts about what the Steelers did regarding Allar and took a bit of a shot at Pickett, too.
Shook posted on X: “The Kenny Pickett experience wasn’t enough for the Steelers, apparently.”
The Kenny Pickett experience wasn’t enough for the Steelers, apparently https://t.co/QvuoCNYMWd
— Nick Shook (@TheNickShook) April 25, 2026
Christopher Carter, who covers the Steelers, heard the news about Allar and posted on X, “Dear God. The Drew Allar vs. Will Howard wars have begun.”
Alex Walker, sports director at WFTV Channel 9 in Florida, posted on X, “Let’s hope Drew returns to his former self. Has a high ceiling, but as we saw, his floor is so low.”
Let’s hope Drew returns to his former self. Has a high ceiling, but as we saw, his floor is so low. #WeAre https://t.co/vLROj6WDbl
— Alex Walker (@AlexWalkerTV) April 25, 2026
Andrew Fillipponi, who talks about sports on Pittsburgh radio station 93.7 The Fan, posted an 11-second video of his response to the Steelers’ third-round pick. Needless to say, Filipponi wasn’t too excited about the prospects of Allar joining Steelers Nation.
— Andrew Fillipponi (@ThePoniExpress) April 25, 2026
Fillipponi wasn’t through commenting, though. He then posted this on X: “So what happens to Will Howard?”
Sports commentator Skip Bayless had a hot take, even mentioning Aaron Rodgers in his response. Bayless posted on X, “Steelers take Penn St QB Drew Allar in the 3rd round. Aaron Rodgers chuckles.”
Steelers take Penn St QB Drew Allar in the 3rd round. Aaron Rodgers chuckles.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) April 25, 2026
Marcus Mosher, who hosts the Locked on Cowboys podcast, posted on X and wondered where the support for Howard was at this time. Mosher wrote, “Drew Allar at No. 76 is hilarious. Where are all the Steelers fans campaigning for Will Howard?”
Drew Allar at No. 76 is hilarious.
Where are all the Steelers fans campaigning for Will Howard?
— Marcus Mosher (@Marcus_Mosher) April 25, 2026
Former NFL defensive tackle Breiden Fehoko posted on X about how much the Steelers might not have much confidence in their quarterback room right now. Fehoko wrote, “The Steelers obviously liked Carson Beck and Drew Allar today, that should tell you everything you need to know about how they feel on Will Howard.”
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After learning of the Steelers’ picking Allar in the third round, PFSN offered its own thoughts on the selection. The PFSN account posted on X, “Significant reach, according to PFSN’s Big Board”.
Significant reach, according to PFSN’s Big Board pic.twitter.com/VsQV3nq2B6
— PFSN (@PFSN365) April 25, 2026
The Steelers got a D- grade for their selection of Allar from the PFSN NFL Draft HQ data. Allar had a 70.0 prospect score heading into the 2026 NFL Draft. According to PFSN’s CFB QB Impact Metric, Allar had an impact score of 78.7, ranking 71st at his position.
“Drew Allar is perhaps the most quintessential ‘prototypical QB’ in the 2026 NFL Draft,” according to PFSN NFL Draft analysis. “A former five-star recruit, he has the frame at 6’5”, 235 pounds. He has the rocket arm, and he has the nimble mobility and arm elasticity to work off-platform.
“He also accrued a glowing record of 26-9 in his time as a starter, and helped lead Penn State to the CFB Playoff semifinals in 2024, showing glimpses of very real pre-snap command, post-snap processing, and break anticipation in the process,” the PFSN draft analysis continued.
“While Allar has an enticing blend of raw talent and offensive command, however, flaws remain on his profile,” according to the analysis. “His accuracy and precision runs very hot-and-cold, his dropback and release mechanics are near liability level, and he’s not the level of rushing threat to create his way out of bad situations consistently.”
