Penn State’s Drew Allar goes to Pittsburgh Steelers in 3rd round

Penn State quarterback Drew Allar, once projected to be a first-round draft pick, was taken in the third round with the 76th overall pick Friday night by the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Allar joins two other quarterbacks on the Steelers roster, Downingtown West product Will Howard and Mason Rudolph. They’re in discussions to bring back three-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers, who would be reunited with new Pittsburgh coach Mike McCarthy, his former coach in Green Bay.

Draft analysts had a wide variety of opinions about Allar, projecting him to be taken anywhere from the 61st pick in the second round to the 128th pick in the fourth round.

He was the fourth quarterback selected, following Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza, Alabama’s Ty Simpson and Miami’s Carson Beck.

“Allar is a sturdy, strong-armed passer with promising intangibles,” Dane Brugler of The Athletic wrote, “but underdeveloped timing disrupts his ability to execute at a high level.”

Allar saw his senior season end when he suffered a broken ankle in the sixth game against Northwestern. He finished his career with the highest completion percentage and lowest interception rate in Penn State history. He ranks third in career touchdown passes and fourth in career passing yards.

He led the Lions to 23 wins in his two full seasons as the starter, including their first College Football Playoff appearance and their first two CFP wins.

But with him as the starter, Penn State went 0-5 against Ohio State, Oregon and Michigan. He threw late-game interceptions against the Ducks in the 2024 Big Ten championship game and in a 2025 regular season game and against Notre Dame in the 2025 Orange Bowl, a CFP semifinal.

“Drew Allar is an intriguing guy,” ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. said. “He makes some beautiful throws and then it’ll be the head scratcher, whether it’s a decision, not seeing it or being just a little off target and not precise.”