Ravens, Eagles Eyed Steelers Rookie Drew Allar Before Selection In Round 3

The Pittsburgh Steelers' decision to draft QB Drew Allar in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft has been heavily debated. It’s no secret at this point that Mike McCarthy, in his first year as the Steelers' head coach, clearly wanted Allar. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t like what Pittsburgh has in Will Howard, or trust Mason Rudolph, but even if Aaron Rodgers does or doesn’t come, McCarthy knows he needs a QB of the future and he clearly believes Allar has that ceiling if he can develop him right, something McCarthy has a proven track record of doing across his 18 seasons of NFL head coaching experience.

Allar was an interesting prospect because of the simple fact he was once viewed as a generational talent who hurt his stock during the 2025 college football season, and then a season-ending injury did him no favors. The talent is still there, but the questions around consistency, health, and development created the kind of draft range where a team like Pittsburgh could take a swing without needing to force him into action immediately.

Jason La Canfora revealed that after speaking with an unnamed NFL GM, the Steelers weren’t the only team excited about Allar’s ceiling. The Baltimore Ravens and the Philadelphia Eagles were also heavily involved behind the scenes, doing extensive work on quarterbacks despite already having established starters in Jalen Hurts and Lamar Jackson, underscoring just how widely respected Allar’s upside remained across the league.

"I’ll tell you this, [the Ravens] did a lot of work on quarterbacks, a lot of work," said one NFL general manager. "The two teams that quietly did the most work on quarterbacks who already have franchise quarterbacks – and I’m not talking about day three kids - this is [Drew] Allar and [Carson] Beck and [Taylen] Green – I’m telling you it was Baltimore and Philly. They were both in on all these kids."

Omar Khan, the Steelers GM, got a bit of an optics hit when the Eagles’ Howie Roseman traded up in the first round to snatch WR Makai Lemon out of Pittsburgh’s grasp. 

It appears that Khan and the Steelers ended up regaining some of that momentum later in the draft when Pittsburgh was able to land Allar ahead of Roseman and the Eagles, flipping the storyline in their favor after the earlier setback.

"Everybody knows how [Eagles General Manager] Howie [Roseman] is, and you hear all the stuff about Hurts and this is the last year of his guarantees," Canfora said. "He’s always seeing if he can get better, and he took one (drafted a QB). But Baltimore was doing a lot of the same stuff. I thought that was pretty interesting."

That swing also mattered because the Ravens were reportedly in the mix for Allar as well. In the end, Pittsburgh not only secured a quarterback they believe in long term, but also got the better of two elite teams who were tracking the same target.

Steelers May Have Something In QB Drew Allar

The Steelers may have something in Allar, but obviously "may" is the key here. Once viewed as a premium prospect, Allar’s injury and struggles in big moments hurt his draft stock. The question remains whether McCarthy can develop him into something special in the Steel City.

Until then, Steelers fans will continue to feel like they might have something in Allar, but that feeling is still just potential rather than proof.

Please feel free to share your Steelers takes and thoughts with me on X (@anthonyghalkias) and consider following for more Steelers-related content and discussion. I’m always open to hearing different perspectives, breaking down games, and talking all things Pittsburgh football.

#SteelerNation