Steelers' Mike McCarthy Gives Honest Answer On Drew Allar: "A Lot Of Work There"

The Pittsburgh Steelers made a huge splash in the 2026 NFL Draft, adding another developmental quarterback for the second year in a row. With the team's first of three third-round picks, it selected Penn State University quarterback Drew Allar. Allar suffered a season-ending broken left ankle that stopped him from finishing out his senior season. However, he was able to make a full recovery before the draft and participated in the NFL Combine. He was invited for a top-30 visit by the Steelers, and it was clear that there was an interest in him. 

Allar is clearly a work in progress, but his intangibles align with what Head Coach Mike McCarthy likes in a signal-caller.  He's 6'5", has a big arm, and can move around well in the pocket. His main concern is his footwork, which McCarthy seemingly took as a challenge to work on. 

The start of the Steelers' rookie minicamp has begun, and Allar's talent, among the rest of the highly anticipated draft class, will be on display. Allar has already begun to work extensively on his footwork with McCarthy and quarterbacks coach Tom Arth. McCarthy held a press conference after the drills, where he talked with members of the media. 

He was asked about Allar's performance, and McCarthy responded with some confidence, but ultimately, he knows that Allar's growth will take some time. The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review's Chris Adamski was in attendance and provided a snippet of the press conference on X. 

"He's physically gifted. He's a gifted thrower of the football, but he's no different than any other young quarterback that I've had the opportunity to work with. Everybody teaches footwork a little differently, and everybody has a system of offense and how you tie your quarterback in the pass game to that," McCarthy said. "There's a lot of work, and we're able to adjust some fundamentals that we think will help him." 

There's no doubt that Allar has a cannon of an arm, but his footwork put him out of rhythm at times in State College. Some routine throws were hindered by his feet, which led to occasional accuracy issues. McCarthy, who is known for getting the most out of his players under center, will have a project in Allar, but one that could produce a potential quarterback of the future in the Steel City. 

Allar was considered one of the top prospects of the class before the 2025 collegiate season. However, after some big games where he underperformed and the injury, his draft stock lowered. His intangibles allowed him to still be the fourth gunslinger drafted, although, in a weak quarterback class. 

Allar will have to battle with 2025 sixth-round pick Will Howard throughout the team's offseason activities, but his third-round pick investment will keep him safe. 

He'll have some time to refine his skills, as many are optimistic that 2025 starter Aaron Rodgers will be back. Allar could learn from a future Hall of Famer and the "quarterback guru" in McCarthy. This will be a great setup for him, as he'll have all the tools to learn from. This is more than likely intentional, seeing that the Steelers haven't found their next franchise guy since Ben Roethlisberger. Pittsburgh added several weapons to its offense during the offseason to help its quarterbacks even more.

The Steelers Need To Take It Slow With Allar

The last time the Steelers used a premium pick on a quarterback was with the 20th pick in the 2022 draft, in Kenny Pickett. However, Pickett was thrown to the wolves relatively quickly and didn't have a ton of time to develop. Even though he was considered "NFL ready," it's extremely difficult to jump into the starting quarterback role. Things should be different with Allar, with Rodgers more than likely coming back. The hope is that Allar can just learn from the great football minds surrounding him, and then eventually gain a starting role. 

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