3 big takeaways from the Steelers pick of QB Drew Allar

We are convinced that the beginning of the Pittsburgh Steelers draft problems on Thursday night was when the Los Angeles Rams took Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson. The Steelers went into the 2026 NFL Draft wanting to pick a quarterback but after Simpson and then Miami's Carson Beck went off the board, the Steelers knew they had to act and in the third round went with Penn State quarterback Drew Allar.

Here are our big takeaways from the Allar pick.

Drafting a quarterback was exactly the right move

The Steelers have yet to replace Ben Roethlisberger but former head coach Mike Tomlin never really tried. This is far and away the most focused attempt to bring in a new franchise quarterback the team has had since Big Ben's retirement.

The team might not like Will Howard so much after all

New head coach Mike McCarthy has gushed about Will Howard since joining the team but using a third-round pick on Allar tells us McCarthy and the Steelers are far from sold on Howard as a starter and he has a position battle ahead of him.

What about Mason Rudolph?

The quarterback no one is talking about is Mason Rudolph. If returns, the Steelers might end up cutting loose the veteran and leaving only Howard and Allar as backups to the veteran Rodgers. This leaves the Steelers quarterback depth chart razor thin if Rodgers gets hurt again.