Pittsburgh Steelers rookie Drew Allar played really well in his NFL debut.
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 very 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.
After the game, Allar spoke with local reporters about his impressive NFL debut.
"The first rushing touchdown I had was like the first hit I've had in I don't know how long, but since mid-October," Allar said, via ESPN. "I feel like that kind of got the physical part out in the way. But I feel like going against our defense every day in practice really helped me mentally prepare for the game.
"It's a huge confidence boost, but I think I came into the game confident just because of the preparation and everything that has gone on in the last two weeks down in Latrobe. Coach McCarthy and the whole offensive staff put together a really concise game plan ... just calling stuff that they know I'm comfortable with and just allowing us to go out and play fast. I feel like they did a great job of putting me in a position to go out and be successful."
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 Aaron 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.
