Legendary Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger Not Enthusiastic About QB Drew Allar

The Pittsburgh Steelers have been receiving critiques from anyone and everyone in the football world since the 2026 NFL Draft concluded in the Steel City. On Tuesday, former quarterback Ben Roethlisberger delivered his thoughts on one of the team's picks during his Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger podcast. He did admit that he did not watch much of the college games that this pick played in during those playing days ahead of the franchise selecting him; however, Roethlisberger is still in more of a wait and see kind of mindset surrounding the pick he discussed. He mentioned that he is unsure whether the pick is actually good or not.

Roethlisberger evaluated the third-round pick at 76th overall in quarterback Drew Allar during the podcast. While mentioning the pick during the show, he did not seem enthusiastic about the selection. One thing to keep in mind, however, is the ability of new head coach Mike McCarthy to develop NFL quarterbacks.

"I don't think this was done because they know anything about Aaron [Rodgers]," Roethlisberger said. "It wasn't like, okay, we know Aaron's not coming, so we're doing this. I think it was a we liked a big, physical quarterback. I didn't watch a lot of Penn State games. When I did watch, he never jumped off the page to me. Whether that's good or bad, I don't know."

While Roethlisberger admitted to not knowing much about the performances of Allar from his playing days at Penn State, the mention of him not jumping off the page could be a bit worrisome. With that said, Penn State also saw a coaching change in the middle of the 2025 season, when they decided to fire former head coach James Franklin. In Franklin's time coaching the program, it was commonly brought up that he was extremely underwhelming in big games against top opponents. While Allar did not live up to his five-star recruiting rank coming out of high school, one still has to wonder how much of that can also be put on Franklin.

One of the most noteworthy plays in Allar's career came in the 2024 College Football Playoff National Semifinal game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Allar forced a pass downfield that was intercepted by Notre Dame late in the fourth quarter. This then allowed them to push the ball down the field, wind the clock, and kick a game-winning field goal to send the Irish to the National Championship. That costly mistake sent Allar and Franklin packing, ending their 2024 season.

Steelers May Have Concern Following Roethlisberger's Comments

While Roethlisberger did admit a bit of ignorance on Allar's college playing time, the comments made certainly are not great to hear from the guy that was the franchise quarterback in Pittsburgh for the better part of 18 seasons. If anyone would be an extremely reputable voice on what it takes to be a good NFL quarterback, it would be Roethlisberger. The comments are not the be-all end-all of Allar's potential, but they certainly are not exactly promising.

The one potential silver lining is the shortcomings of Franklin as Allar's coach in college, and it goes beyond just those big game moments. Well before Allar arrived on the scene in State College, Franklin was known for making bad in-game decisions, as well as failing to move the Penn State program from great to elite. It is entirely possible that Franklin's system just was not the correct one for Allar, who was viewed as a pro-style quarterback.

While the Black and Gold certainly should be concerned following these comments, a new coaching staff could be the perfect recipe for Allar to beat the odds and have a successful NFL career. While that remains to be seen for now, McCarthy has coached some great NFL quarterbacks, including Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers. If there is one coach that would be able to help Allar move past his college career and translate the physical traits that did stick out for him, McCarthy may be just the guy to move the needle for Allar at the next level.

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