The Pittsburgh Steelers made the exciting but also heavily debated decision to select former Penn State QB Drew Allar 76th overall in the 2026 NFL Draft. That now muddies the water for 2025 sixth-round pick Will Howard, who now will compete with Allar on the depth chart alongside veteran quarterback Mason Rudolph. The Steelers are also still waiting on a decision from Aaron Rodgers to find out if he is going to be their QB for the 2026 season or not.
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Steelers' Drew Allar in his locker room during his time at Penn State.
Allar is an eye-opening prospect, as at one point he was thought to be a generational quarterback talent. However, he struggled some in big games, and his stock began to plummet. That, combined with the injury he suffered to end his college career, pushed him from a potential top-tier selection down into the third round. For Pittsburgh, this represents a strong value pick and another young quarterback who may or may not develop into the future answer under center.
Former NFL executive Mike Tannenbaum recently highlighted Allar’s upside, pointing out that the Steelers may be getting a player with first-round level potential if he develops properly under McCarthy. His comments quickly spread across social media, sparking viral reactions among fans and analysts debating whether Pittsburgh just made one of the most overlooked quarterback picks in the draft.
"Look with Drew Allar you are getting somebody who was going into last year and he was going to be a first-round pick," Tannenbaum said while he was speaking on The Pat McAfee Show on Wednesday. "He looks the part. He has a great arm and it did fall apart against Oregon. He got hurt against Northwestern and that was it, but he has high upside."
With Pittsburgh not having to spend a super premium pick to select Allar, they could luck into finding their next franchise quarterback in him, though that would be very fortunate and somewhat lucky for them.
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Mike McCarthy celebrating with quarterback Dak Prescott in Dallas during his time as the Cowboys head coach.
However, it has happened before under McCarthy, as he helped develop QB Dak Prescott into one of the elite quarterbacks in the NFL, and he was a fourth-round pick. So history is on their side.
"Coach [Bill] Parcells used to say all the time, whenever you draft a QB, not only do you want starts, but you also want the physical aspect, and you want to know what the upside is," Tannenbaum said. "He has great upside. If Coach McCarthy can invest a year in him, they may have something in Allar. Where they took him, it is not the end of the world if it does not work out."
Depending on what happens with Rodgers, the Steelers’ 2026 season at quarterback is going to be super interesting. If Rodgers comes back, it is obviously his offense, but if he does not, then the questions about the quarterback position get extremely fun. Rudolph is the veteran in that room, and Allar and Howard have no NFL starting experience. Howard did learn under Rodgers in 2025, so he has a slight edge, but everything is still new in McCarthy’s system.
Steelers Fans Would Love Youth Movement At QB
Steelers fans would actually prefer to see a youth movement at quarterback, it sounds like. Based on the fan reaction to Allar and Howard, it appears many are ready to move on from Rodgers. However, Rodgers still seems to be the brass’ preferred option.
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Steelers QB Will Howard during 2025 training camp in Latrobe, PA.
If he does not come back and Howard and Allar compete for QB1, things could get really fascinating in the Steel City. That kind of competition could reshape the entire direction of the franchise going forward. With McCarthy at the helm and iron sharpening iron, maybe the Steelers already have their franchise guy on the roster.
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