Steelers take Penn State QB Drew Allar in third round of NFL draft

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Mike McCarthy built his reputation in the NFL on mentoring young quarterbacks. He won't lack for opportunities in his first season coaching the Pittsburgh Steelers . Pittsburgh — which is still waiting for Aaron Rodgers to decide if he wants to run it back in 2026 — drafted Penn State's Drew Allar in the third round of the NFL draft on Friday, turning to another nearby prospect a year after taking Ohio State's Will Howard and four years after selecting Pitt's Kenny Pickett .

Pickett flamed out in two seasons. The jury remains very much out on Howard, who spent a sizable chunk of his rookie year on injured reserve. Enter Allar, who endured injury trouble of own last fall for the Nittany Lions.

Once projected as a potential first-round pick during the early stages of his four-year run in Happy Valley, the 6-foot-5, 228-pound Allar is very much like Howard: a tall, strong-armed presence in the pocket who is hardly considered a sure thing as a pro. Still, the Steelers saw enough to use the 76th overall pick on Allar, whose arrival gives the team another young arm to join a room that also includes veteran backup Mason Rudolph and — if he decides he wants to return for a 22nd season — Aaron Rodgers. Quarterbacks coach Tom Arth said he believes the decision to take Allar will not have “any impact” on the team's willingness to bring back Rodgers, who guided the club to an AFC North title in his first year with Pittsburgh.

Steelers general manager Omar Khan said whoever ends up being the franchise quarterback the team has lacked since Ben Roethlisberger's retirement in early 2022 needs to be built to play in the AFC North. In that sense, Arth thinks Allar checks some pretty significant boxes. “He has big hands, He has a strong arm.