What the Pittsburgh Steelers will do behind center during head coach Mike McCarthy's first year in charge is still murky.
NFL.com's Chad Reuter has a plan for them going forward, however. In the third round of his latest three-round 2026 NFL Draft mock-up , McCarthy and general manager Omar Khan selected a quarterback many in Western Pennsylvania are familiar with, Penn State's Drew Allar .
Allar was the fifth signal-caller taken off the board, after Indiana's Fernando Mendoza (No. 1 overall, Las Vegas Raiders ), Alabama's Ty Simpson (No. 16, New York Jets ), Miami 's Carson Beck (No. 65, Arizona Cardinals ) and LSU's Garrett Nussmeier (No. 75, Miami Dolphins ).
Allar led the Big Ten in passing touchdowns (25) in 2023 and threw for a career-best 3,327 yards as he led the Nittany Lions to the doorstep of the College Football Playoff national title game in 2024. He played in only six games as a senior before suffering a season-ending ankle injury, passing for 1,100 yards, eight touchdowns and three interceptions.
Drew Allar and the Penn State quarterbacks warmup for the Lions conference matchup at Maryland. — Matt Lynch / Nittany Sports Now:
During the first round of the same projection, the Steelers took Texas A&M receiver KC Concepcion with the No. 21 overall choice.
"Pittsburgh typically waits until Day 2 to find receivers, but Concepcion's playmaking ability after the catch is quite tempting," Reuter wrote. "If Aaron Rodgers returns to reunite with head coach Mike McCarthy, the veteran QB will likely want a reliable companion receiver to DK Metcalf ."
USC's Makai Lemon (No. 6, Cleveland Browns ), Ohio State's Carnell Tate (No. 14, Baltimore Ravens ), Arizona State's Jordyn Tyson (No. 18, Philadelphia Eagles ) and Washington 's Denzel Boston (No. 20, Buffalo Bills ) were the wideouts taken before Concepcion.
The Steelers added Notre Dame guard Billy Schrauth with the No. 53 pick and Alabama linebacker Deontae Lawson with No. 85. They traded back into the third round to pluck Stephen F. Austin cornerback Charles Demmings at No. 99, as well.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now : Steelers Pick From QB Bargain Bin in Latest 2026 NFL Draft Mock-Up
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