In an ongoing effort to find a long-term solution at quarterback, the Pittsburgh Steelers used the 85th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft to select Drew Allar, who had an up-and-down career at Penn State.
Allar will enter a crowded Steelers quarterback room that also includes 2025 sixth-round pick Will Howard, veteran Mason Rudolph and possibly Aaron Rodgers, who recently received the right-of-first-refusal tag.
But Ben Roethlisberger, the quarterback Pittsburgh has been trying to replace since his retirement after the 2021 season, is skeptical of his old team’s decision to draft him.
“This is one that I’m not sure yet if I love it or hate it,” Roethlisberger said on his podcast. “I don’t watch a lot of Penn State games. When I did watch, he never jumped off the page to me. Is he big? Can he move? Can he throw? Yes. But there was never a time where I was like, ‘Whoa.'”
Roethlisberger acknowledged his impression of Allar could be partly attributed to the fact that he played in a run-heavy offense at Penn State that featured running back Kaytron Allen, whom the Commanders selected in the sixth round.
There’s no denying that Allar’s career at Penn State was marked by inconsistency, a weakness the Steelers clearly believe they can fix. The Steelers obviously felt that Allar’s potential was worth selecting him in the third round.Â
Below is CBS Sports’ pre-draft scouting report on Allar, along with the Steelers’ draft grade for selecting him:
Drew Allar is a physically gifted quarterback who combines an enormous arm with effective mobility. A former five-star recruit out of Ohio, he possesses the raw tools to make elite “big boy” throws at every level of the field.Â
While he can pick defenses apart from a clean pocket, his consistency is often hindered by frenetic footwork and a tendency to speed up under pressure, leaving him as a high-upside prospect still refining his mental game.
About
– Career: Began career with 311 pass attempts without an INT (FBS record)
– Career: Penn State record-holder in completion percentage (63.2%)Strengths
– Elite arm strength capable of fitting balls into tight windows.
– Exceptional touch on deep balls and red-zone fades.
– Effective straight-line runner who must be accounted for on scrambles.Weaknesses
– Becomes frenetic and panicky under heavy defensive pressure.
– Inconsistent footwork leads to bouts of inaccuracy.
– Tendency to leave clean pockets prematurely instead of trusting protection.Draft grade: B
“Allar is the perfect quarterback in this class to take for Mike McCarthy to develop. He’s got the size, the arm and the feet to evade pressure in the pocket. Unfortunately, he’s never had the accuracy. Can Mike McCarthy fix that? If the new head coach can, Allar can start in the NFL.” — Mike Renner  Â
While he’s skeptical of Allar, Roethlisberger is anything but when it comes to Howard, drafted three rounds later in 2025 despite leading Ohio State to a national title.
Prior to this year’s draft, the general consensus around Pittsburgh was that Howard was in line to be Rodgers’ heir apparent. And while Pittsburgh’s selection of Allar could potentially alter those plans, Roethlisberger still feels Howard is the front-runner to be the Steelers’ quarterback of the future.
“Will Howard jumped off the tape to me way more than Drew did,” Roethlisberger said.Â
Roethlisberger pointed out the Steelers could have used the 85th overall pick to select a player who could help them now. Instead, Pittsburgh selected Allar, who immediately enters a position battle with Howard, his former Big Ten counterpart.
“The jury’s still out for me right now,” Roethlisberger reiterated. “Again, there was nothing that just jumped off the page for me. Whether that’s good or bad, I don’t know. We’ll see about this one.”
