Not everyone is against the Pittsburgh Steelers selection of Penn State quarterback Drew Allar .
Many have tabbed the Pittsburgh Steelers third-round selection of Penn State quarterback Drew Allar as a reach in the 2026 NFL Draft. However, one analyst believes they could come out on the other end looking very good.
NFL Network draft expert Brian Baldinger believes Allar has incredible upside at the next level and could turn out to be the Steelers long-term answer at quarterback.
“It looks like NFL football,” Baldinger said . “Allar’s just got a cannon, maybe one of the five strongest arms in the NFL right now. He can just lay it out there with just a flick.”
Allar was an All-Big Ten honorable mention in 2024, leading the Nittany Lions to the College Football Playoff semifinals while passing for 3,327 yards, 24 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
However, Allar’s 2025 campaign was cut short after breaking his left ankle in October. Through six games, he threw for 1,100 yards, eight touchdowns and three interceptions.
Allar’s injury isn’t the only reason why he may have fell down draft boards, though. The 22-year-old struggled mightily in big games, likely leading many NFL decision makers to question his intangible traits.
However, Baldinger is confident those traits can be improved with good coaching.
“I understand the ankle injury last year. I understand some big games, but can we coach Drew Allar up a little bit? Because the talent, the size is there,” Baldinger continued. “This arm is an NFL arm. It’s an AFC North arm.”
New Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy will has the task of doing just that, but that is exactly why the team hired him and he knows it.
“We talked about it in my interview,” McCarthy said. “Just from a philosophical standpoint, we want to have a healthy quarterback room that we’re always developing. It’s the most important position maybe in sports. It’s very difficult. There’s a lot that goes into that. We have a way of how the quarterback will be trained here. I’ve done it a long time.”
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now : Steelers Continue Earning Praise For Drafting QB Drew Allar
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