One of the most polarizing selections the Pittsburgh Steelers made in the 2026 NFL Draft was taking Penn State quarterback Drew Allar with the No. 76 overall pick in the third round. Despite a desperate need to find a franchise quarterback, many fans had trouble getting behind the Allar selection after witnessing his career unravel over the past two seasons.
Allar, a five-star recruit and No. 1 QB recruit in the nation in 2022, oozes with physical gifts. He possesses a prototype frame for his position with a big arm. But the inconsistencies are real, and the mechanics are a mess.
Fans are dying to know what this kid could be in the NFL. While there have been some wild 'Josh Allen' comps thrown out there, we need to pump the brakes on those talks.
Based on Allar's physical profile, his strengths and weaknesses, and projected expectations, here are my reasonable high-end, low-end, and most likely NFL comps for the Steelers' third-round quarterback.
NFL comps for Pittsburgh Steelers rookie QB Drew Allar leave much to be desired
Low-end NFL comp: Matt Leinart
While Allar differs stylistically from Matt Leinart in some ways, it's easy to draw similarities between them, particularly in their big frames and high-profile status. Leinart lived up to the hype in college, which resulted in him becoming the 10th overall pick in the 2006 NFL Draft. Unfortunately, he couldn't handle the pressure of the NFL stage.
Over his seven-year NFL career, the former USC star QB started just 18 games—going 8-10 as a starter. Injuries plagued Leinart much of his career, but when on the field, he was underwhelming and inconsistent. Leinart finished his career throwing just 15 touchdowns and 21 interceptions while passing for just 5.3 adjusted yards per attempt, per Pro Football Reference.
At 6'5'' and 223 pounds, Leinart's stature was nearly identical to Allar's coming out of college, and he had a big arm to go with it. He was a popular player whose career quickly spiraled.
High-end NFL Comp: Joe Flacco
It's unreasonable to believe that Drew Allar will ever have the career success or longevity of Joe Flacco. So from that perspective, this would be an unwise player comparison. However, in terms of stature, arm talent, and play style, Flacco is a good high-end comp for Allar.
Flacco was never an elite athlete, but he had a bit more mobility in his younger days. The 6'6, 236-pound quarterback has the frame to stand tall behind the offensive line and deliver the football over the middle and deep down the field.
Allar's mechanics are far from being pro-ready, but if he can clean up his game, he has the type of physical talent and tools to be a big-bodied starting quarterback for a long time in the NFL. Technically, Allar has even more physical gifts than Flacco, but it's unreasonable to reach much higher than this comp.
It's also worth mentioning that Joe Flacco is the comp the organization had for Allar shortly after he was drafted.
Most likely NFL Comp: Blake Bortles
More likely than not, if Allar becomes a starting quarterback during his Steelers tender, his game and play style could closely resemble former Jaguars QB Blake Bortles. Bortles, the third-overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft out of UCF, was considered a QB prospect worth rolling the dice on, thanks to his impressive size/traits profile.
At 6'5'' and 232 pounds with nearly 33-inch arms and quality athletic traits, Bortles and Allar shared a remarkably similar profile entering the NFL. Both quarterbacks showed flashes of elite deep ball ability, and in short spurts, their traits were on full display.
Unfortunately, Bortles was not everything as advertised. In his six-year NFL career, Bortles went just 24-49 as a starter, though he did throw 103 touchdowns to 75 interceptions and managed 6.2 adjusted yards per attempt. However, Bortles had a career completion percentage of just 59.3 percent, and it's not hard to envision Allar struggling in similar ways.
If Allar gets a fair shake—and if we're being honest with ourselves—Blake Bortles is a reasonable, most likely NFL player comp for the talented but polarizing Steelers rookie quarterback.
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