Drew Allar, the former Penn State star, will have a lot of questions to answer at the NFL level. After being selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2026 NFL draft over the weekend, there's a lot of hope that Allar can be the guy for this organization in the long term.
Funny enough, his competitions against Ohio State players are only getting started once again, as he will have to beat out Will Howard for the quarterback job.
Whether that's the starting job this year if Aaron Rodgers decides to hang them up, or as the QB2 if Rodgers returns, Allar and Howard will be battling it out once again, though this time, it's a bit different than in years past.
“I think it’s about pulling for each other first and foremost,” Allar said, per The Athletic.
“You want the team to be successful every Sunday. You want to go out and win every game. That’s the ultimate goal, and that’s my ultimate goal. For me, it’s just about putting my head down and focusing on what I can control — my effort and attitude each day, and the amount of preparation I could put into going into each day. And I know everybody in the quarterback room is going to do the same thing.”
While Allar has to say all the right things here, he obviously wants to beat Howard out and be the one who helps his team win at a high level.
Regardless, it sounds like he'll be given that chance, no matter what Rodgers decides to do, which is all the young man can ask for after some up-and-down performances for the Nittany Lions.
"In the immediate future, the QB2 job is likely at stake. (Should Rodgers sign, Mason Rudolph’s days in Pittsburgh are probably numbered.) In the intermediate term, one of the two quarterbacks will try to prove that the Steelers do not, in fact, need to trade up to land a first-round QB in 2027. And long-term: Can one become the future of the franchise, the quarterback to finally break this tiresome QB search that’s dragged on for more than half a decade?...
“With Allar, the Steelers have now handed McCarthy a QB with what appears to be all the tools. It’s the perfect canvas for a coach they’re calling a QB whisperer. It’s also the perfect measuring stick to evaluate the new head coach,” Mike DeFabo of The Athletic wrote.