Pittsburgh Steelers rookie Drew Allar played really well in his NFL debut, but one analyst wants to pump the brakes on all the hype.
Pittsburgh Steelers rookie Drew Allar made his NFL (preseason) debut on Thursday (8/13) against the Green Bay Packers and the Penn State product played really well.
Allar completed 10 of 13 passes for 153 passing yards and two passing touchdowns. He also had one rushing touchdown in the Steelers' 28-9 win against the Packers.
Some people believe Allar will be a future star in the NFL, but Moe Moton of Bleacher Report wants to pump the brakes on all Allar hype.
"His performance may lead you to believe that he'll take over after Aaron Rodgers retires at the conclusion of the 2026 season, but that's a premature projection," Moton wrote. "Keep in mind that the Steelers inserted Allar into the game after Mason Rudolph and Will Howard. He played against third- and fourth-stringers, many of whom will be cut in a couple of weeks.
"According to ESPN, Pittsburgh 'uninstalled' everything that Allar learned at Penn State. So, it's encouraging to see a rebuilt version of him look sharp in his first taste of pro action. However, Allar may require an extensive developmental process as the Steelers reshape his quarterback mechanics and decision-making. Let's see the rookie third-rounder perform well against tougher competition before we crown him the heir to Rodgers' position."
Allar played in 45 games for Penn State. He finished with 7,402 passing yards, 61 passing touchdowns and 13 interceptions while completing 63.2% of his passes.
Allar is not projected to play this season unless Rodgers and Mason Rudolph get injured. However, the rookie has thus far enjoyed learning from Rodgers, one of the greatest QBs of all time.
Rodgers will retire from the NFL after this season, so Allar could be the Steelers' starting QB in 2027.
"I'm really excited to learn from him," Allar told Fox Sports. "With him being in Coach McCarthy's system in Green Bay, it's beneficial because he knows the system inside and out, even though he hasn’t played in it in five or six years at this point. And just everything he's going through in his career, playing in tens of thousands of snaps, how much experience and knowledge he has — the nuances of playing the position of quarterback, reading coverages, the defensive tendencies — any little thing I can pick up to help me process faster and be more accurate, I'm all in for it."
The Steelers uninstalled everything Allar learned about playing QB and re-uploaded their own fundamentals and mechanics. So far, that pathway seems to be working, but it will be a while before Allar is ready to play against NFL starters.
