One of the bigger surprises of the 2025 NFL draft was the Pittsburgh Steelers not taking a quarterback over the first two days.
The Steelers finally landed on a quarterback on Day 3, but that didn’t come until the sixth round via the selection of Ohio State signal-caller, Will Howard.
Safe to say, Howard is anything but a sure thing to pan out given his draft position. And, with Aaron Rodgers the likely solution to Pittsburgh’s quarterback problem in 2025, the Steelers don’t have a true long-term solution on their roster.
It’s hard to imagine the Steelers not coming away with a quarterback in the 2026 NFL draft, and that’s something Pro Football and Sport Network’s Ian Cummings agrees with.
In his latest mock, Cummings predicts the Steelers will come away with Penn State quarterback Drew Allar with the No. 16 overall pick.
“A former five-star recruit, Allar is 6’5″, 238 pounds with an angle-diverse rocket launcher on his right shoulder,” he wrote. “He’s young yet experienced, and has grown as a field general in his time at Penn State. Accuracy and precision will determine how high he rises in 2026.”
Allar led Penn State to a 13-3 record and the College Football Playoff semifinal while throwing for 3,327 yards, rushing for 302 yards and scoring 30 touchdowns (24 passing) last season.
Making his showing more impressive was the fact that Allar didn’t have great weapons around him to work with, which means he’s capable of elevating an offense all by himself, a trait you can’t teach.
As The Draft Network’s Ryan Fowler notes in his scouting report, Allar shows a lot of elite traits, including being able to make all the throws on a football field. There’s still work to be done, but Allar will have an opportunity to fine tune his mechanics in 2025 before entering the draft next year.
“Overall, Allar is a physically impressive quarterback with the arm talent to make every throw in a playbook,” Fowler wrote. “While his inconsistent mechanics can often cause throws to sail into precarious situations, he’s showcased the ability to confidently lead an offense with the processing, accuracy, efficiency, and arm talent to threaten each level of a defense. Considering his success with such limited playmakers around him, Allar is a highly intriguing playmaker who can elevate those around him — a trait of a franchise signal-caller.”
Allar is one of many quarterbacks who could cement themselves as the top prospect at the position in next year’s draft.
With the Steelers likely to teeter around .500 in 2025, they won’t be in position to grab the top signal-caller in 2026. However, there should still be plenty of options in the middle of the first round, and Allar could certainly be one of them.
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