Drew Allar moved into a bigger role in Steelers spring work this week, taking plenty of reps during organized team activities when Aaron Rodgers and Mason Rudolph were excused. The rookie quarterback was the No. 4 arm on the depth chart, but the extra snaps gave the staff a closer look at the player it is trying to shape into a future starter.
That matters because the reps are not coming in a vacuum. The Steelers drafted Allar in April with the first of three third-round picks at No. 76 overall, using the selection they got in the George Pickens trade with the Dallas Cowboys. He was once viewed by some analysts as a possible top-five pick, a sharp drop that came after a subpar final season and a broken ankle that cost him Penn State's last seven games of 2025.
The team’s plan is to keep investing in him. It started with a reworking of his footwork, a basic but telling sign that Pittsburgh sees more in him than a camp arm. Allar, 6-foot-5 and 228 pounds, spent four seasons at Penn State, started the final three, went 26-9 and finished with a 63.2% completion rate, 61 touchdown passes, 13 interceptions, 732 rushing yards and 12 rushing touchdowns.
Those numbers explain why the Steelers believe there is a quarterback worth developing, even if the path back to the level once projected for him is not simple. Extra spring reps can help a young QB settle his base and timing, but they do not erase the split between college promise and the uneven play that pushed him to No. 76 overall. The staff can only measure whether the work is sticking when the tempo rises and the competition becomes real.
What comes next is straightforward and uncertain at the same time: the Steelers will keep giving Allar resources and coaching, and they hope he becomes a viable starter down the line. For now, the most important sign is that Aaron Rodgers being out of the way in OTAs gave Allar a chance to play more, and Pittsburgh used it to start fixing the parts of his game it believes still can be built.
