Drew Allar is already doing one thing Steelers needed to see

When the Pittsburgh Steelers selected Penn State quarterback Drew Allar with the No. 76 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, we knew he would need time to develop. And during the first week of training camp, there’s been nothing to suggest this isn’t the case. 

From everything we’ve seen and gathered so far, Allar looks like a rookie. The 22-year-old quarterback has thrown some errant passes and made a few questionable decisions. 

However, he’s also done the one thing Steelers fans have been begging for at the position since Ben Roethlisberger's arm fell off: he’s been slinging the ball down the field. 

Since Matt Canada was the offensive coordinator in Pittsburgh, it felt like the Steelers would avoid that area of the field like the plague. The emphasis from previous head coach Mike Tomlin was on playing risk-averse football and not giving the ball to the other team. But that doesn’t appear to be the goal for new HC Mike McCarthy. 

More than anyone could have expected, Allar is ripping the football deep down the field and between the hashes. Though everything hasn’t been perfect, this is a huge early step in the right direction. 

Pittsburgh Steelers fans should be thrilled with Drew Allar’s willingness to throw the ball over the middle of the field

One of the biggest complaints about Allar during his four-year collegiate career at Penn State was inconsistency and timidity in throwing the ball over the middle. Despite possessing prototype size (6’5’’ and 228 pounds) and a massive arm, Allar would shy away from pushing the ball down the field and taking chances. 

The opposite has been the case so far at Steelers training camp.

On multiple occasions, Allar could be seen firing the ball deep down the middle of the field and using his impressive velocity to drive the ball into windows that Tomlin likely would have deemed too risky. 

Obviously, there can be a downside to being too aggressive as a quarterback in the NFL (just ask Jameis Winston). There’s routinely traffic over the middle of the field, and targeting this area too often can lead to increased turnovers, which can sometimes decide the outcomes of games. 

Having said that, Allar hardly needs to tone it back—he needs to keep it coming. 

What better time to practice being aggressive than in a training camp setting? A young quarterback needs to learn about the types of throws he can get away with at the NFL level and what’s not going to work. 

Like Coach Tomlin always said: he’s rather have to tell his players ‘woah’ rather than ‘sick ‘em’. 

A major component of the quarterback position is confidence. McCarthy is not going to want Allar’s confidence shaken by throwing a handful of interceptions over the middle during training camp or the preseason. At the same time, Allar can build his confidence by making big plays over the field at training camp. The last thing fans want is for him to become a more timid passer in the NFL. 

Drew Allar still has a long way to go and needs to learn the nuances of the game, but his impressive aggressiveness with the football early in camp is a great sign that shows just how high his ceiling can be with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

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