The Steelers used the first of their three third-round picks on Drew Allar on Friday evening, bringing a second young quarterback into a room that already includes 2025 sixth-round pick Will Howard and is likely to feature Aaron Rodgers.
That move turned an idea into a competition. The Steelers had hosted Allar as a pre-draft visitor on April 15, the last day teams were allowed to bring in prospects, and he was the fourth and final quarterback to visit Pittsburgh before the draft. Ten days later, the team decided he was the one it wanted.
The fit was not hard to see. Allar is listed at 6-foot-5 and 228 pounds, with nearly 10-inch hands and an arm widely viewed as the best part of his game. Pittsburgh had already done extensive work on the quarterback class with a plan to add a mid-round passer to pair with Howard on the depth chart, and Friday night it got one who arrives with obvious physical tools and a clear path into the fight for the QB2 job.
That fight was not hidden during the pre-draft process. Tom Arth asked Allar, “How's that going to go, coming into a room with Will Howard?” Allar did not dodge it. “I got to know Will a little bit and he's a great guy,” he said. “He's a great player. I'd love to be able to work with him.”
The Steelers have spent more than half a decade looking for a long-term answer at quarterback, and this is the latest swing at stability. Many inside the building are optimistic Rodgers will lead the team onto the field in Week 1, but the immediate future in the room is less about the veteran and more about the pecking order behind him. If Rodgers signs, Mason Rudolph’s days in Pittsburgh are probably numbered.
What makes this draft pick more interesting is what it could mean later. The competition between Howard and Allar may help decide whether the Steelers feel forced to trade up for a first-round quarterback in 2027, a question that hangs over the franchise as it keeps searching for a solution.
Arth described both quarterbacks as driven by the same thing. “These are two ultra-competitive individuals,” he said. “They certainly wouldn't be where they are if they weren't. That type of competition typically brings out the best in people.”
Allar sounded ready for that kind of setup. “I think it's about pulling for each other first and foremost,” he said. “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.” He added, “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.”
The Steelers have their quarterback room, and now they have a real battle inside it. How that shakes out could decide much more than one depth chart spot.
