Why Drew Allar has been put in position to succeed with the Pittsburgh Steelers
Penn State quarterback Drew Allar heard his name called in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft when the Pittsburgh Steelers took him with the No. 76 overall pick.
How will Allar fit in Pittsburgh? What did Steelers quarterbacks coach Tom Arth say to reporters in Pittsburgh about him following the pick? Let’s take a look.
Quarterback Drew Allar to the Pittsburgh Steelers
Allar may have as high of upside as any quarterback in this class, but if he’s going to reach it, he needs to end up in an ideal situation. And, according to multiple sources, there were a couple of situations those around Allar had locked in on as ideal situations heading into the draft — the Los Angeles Rams and the Pittsburgh Steelers. And now he will begin his career in Pittsburgh, with a setup that should allow him to grow and develop without having to see the field in the first year of his career.
The Steelers are likely locked in with Aaron Rodgers at quarterback, assuming he does not retire, which will allow Allar to work on his craft while he’s either a backup or third-string quarterback behind Mason Rudolph. He’ll be working with head coach Mike McCarthy who has a strong track record of quarterback development — including developing Rodgers in Green Bay. The top priority for McCarthy and quarterbacks coach Tom Arth will likely be Allar’s footwork, which had been messy at times at Penn State.
Outside of his footwork, Allar will also need to work on his accuracy on intermediate throws, where he can struggle to consistently put the ball on target, and on his decisiveness. He sees the field at a high level, but his brain and his arm aren’t always in sync, leading to him turning down more throws than he should.
The positives with Allar are important ones. He has elite arm strength and size at 6-foot-5, 235 pounds and has better speed than you’d anticipate for someone his size. He can make every throw necessary at an NFL level and has all the talent necessary to succeed.
His NFL career could be long and highly successful, or it could end much sooner than anyone anticipates. But he landed in as ideal of a situation as possible in order to give him his best shot at accomplishing the former.
Steelers QB coach Tom Arth on Allar
On Allar’s background
“I’ve been watching Drew since he was probably 14 or 15 years old. Offered him as a college coach (at Akron). And just amazing to see how far he’s come. Not to say that I’m surprised. You saw the talent, you saw the ability, you certainly saw the stature and all of those things. But to see what he’s accomplished and how far he’s come is really cool for me to see. And now to have the chance to have him here in Pittsburgh and in our quarterback room I think is outstanding.”
On why Allar hasn’t reached his potential
“He’s still a young guy. And I think that’s part of the process for every player as you go through high school and transition to college, and you go through your four or five years at the college level. And there’s another step to take as you transition to becoming a professional. I think that’s not unique to Drew; it’s really what you expect, and I think what you hope for. As a coach, I don’t know if you’re looking at trying to find a guy that’s a finished product. I think you want to find someone who has potential to continue to improve. And he’s certainly accomplished a lot in his college career. And we think that he has a really high ceiling.”
On why Allar can play in the AFC North
“I think there’s a number of those traits. No. 1, he’s a big, strong, physical player. He has big hands, he has a strong arm. He’s built to last. And I think that when you’re talking about playing in the elements, and playing the physical brand of football that it is in the AFC North, you need a guy like that. And Drew certainly fits that mold.”
On how Allar handled adversity at Penn State in 2025
“It’s a tough situation to go through — dealing with injury, [in] a very critical time in his college career. Certainly for all of his goals and dreams that he wanted to accomplish at Penn State. And certainly for the ramifications that presents for his prospects in the National Football League. So that’s tough, and to see and to really learn and hear about the type of teammate that he was, the way that he helped his backup quarterback prepare week in and week out and the meetings that the two of them had privately was really impressive to me.
“And I think it just tells you the type of person that he is and the type of teammate that he is, and I think at the end of the day, he’s obviously a very good football player, or we wouldn’t have selected him. But he’s a great person, and he’s going to make our team better. He’s going to make our locker room better.”
