Pittsburgh Steelers select Penn State QB Drew Allar in 3rd round of 2026 NFL Draft
One of the most mercurial players in the 2026 NFL Draft has a landing spot.
Drew Allar was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third round Friday night with the No. 76 overall pick. Allar’s name was greeted with cheers, as the NFL draft was held in the Steel City this year.
Allar was projected to go somewhere in the middle rounds of this weekend’s draft. He’s now the second Nittany Lion to go this year, joining OG Vega Ioane (1st round, No. 14 overall). He’s the highest-drafted Penn State QB since Christian Hackenberg went in the second round (No. 51 overall) in 2016.
Allar spent three of his four seasons as a starter and arrived with the program with extremely high expectations. He was a five-star recruit and was expected to be one of the best quarterbacks in program history. He will leave with impressive numbers — 7,402 passing yards and 61 touchdowns with only 13 interceptions — but his overall career was much more up and down.
He led the team to some incredible highs, like an appearance in the College Football Playoff semifinal in 2024, but also some crushing lows. He threw the interception that essentially cost them that semifinal game against Notre Dame, and then struggled to take a step forward in 2025 before his college career came to an end with a gruesome ankle injury against Northwestern in early October.
And at his Pro Day, he said he felt like he was ready to get back on the field.
“I feel really good,” Allar said in mid-March. “I haven’t really had any limitations the last month and a half, two months. I was training in California, when I got out there, it was just straight rehab and throw. ... But, honestly, I could have played a game, I feel like, two weeks ago. I feel like I could go out and play a game right now.”
Allar still has a remarkably high ceiling and could end up having a far better professional career. He will need to continue improving and will likely begin his career as a backup behind Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers — as long as Rodgers doesn’t retire — allowing him to learn for his first year in the NFL.
He leaves Penn State as its all-time leader in completion percentage at 63.2% and interception percentage at 1.3%. He’s third in passing touchdowns with his 61, fourth in completions with 633 and in passing yards with 7,402.
Allar’s Penn State legacy will be an interesting one, but there’s no denying the impact he could have on the field when he was at his best.
This story was originally published April 24, 2026 at 10:07 PM.
