Mike McCarthy was mum earlier this week when asked about who would play in the Steelers’ preseason finale, but he did shed light on the quarterback position, stating they would “focus on those two young guys“. That was, undoubtedly, part of what Steelers fans wanted to hear as the preseason buzz surrounding Drew Allar continues.
After a disappointing 2-interception outing from Will Howard in last week’s game, his uphill climb to make the roster became even steeper. Drew Allar entered in the 2nd half and wasn’t much more impressive, although the consensus is that he got little to no help from.. well, anyone else on offense. After his excellent debut and dud of a 2nd game, he’s completed 21 of 36 passes (58.3%) for 289 yards and 2 touchdowns with 0 interceptions. The Steelers’ preseason finale could be somewhat of a rubber match, given he plays early enough to take the field with some resemblance to NFL-caliber company.
The final preseason game will also likely be the final opportunity to witness Drew Allar in a real game situation until the 2027 season. That leaves a very important decision to be made before the 3rd-round rookie out of Penn State takes the field again.
The 2027 NFL Draft.
On Thursday, April 29th, 2007, the first round of the NFL Draft will take place in Washington, D.C. By that date, the Steelers must know if Drew Allar is a candidate to be the franchise QB of the future. It’s a big assessment in a short period of time, but this is why Mike McCarthy was hired as head coach. To identify and develop the next franchise quarterback for the Steelers.
Offseason activities are severely shortened by CBA regulations, and the urgency for organizations to win now is at an all-time high. It may not leave much room for developing quarterbacks without playing them in games, but organization-altering decisions have been made before without seeing much from their projected franchise quarterback.
Mike McCarthy himself has done it when the Green Bay Packers moved on from Brett Favre in favor of a young Aaron Rodgers, despite throwing only 59 regular-season passes, albeit in 3 seasons on the bench. Patrick Mahomes was handed the reins after a single start in a meaningless game to close out his rookie year. He went on to throw 50 TDs and become the league MVP in his first year as a starter.
Drew Allar was a 3rd-round pick for a reason, unlike the aforementioned greats, but the rapid improvement from his time at Penn State to the preseason finale of his first NFL season is certainly worth noting. If the Steelers, and namely Mike McCarthy, believe his trajectory is that of a franchise QB, the focal point of the NFL Draft changes.
The fact is that nobody outside of the organization, and many inside it, will know how the Steelers feel about Allar until the night of April 29th, 2027. Once again, the incoming class is expected to be heavy with QB talent. The Steelers will have scouts at all the major college football programs and games, especially the QB-heavy contests. They will speak with every top QB prospect at the combine in March, and they will likely attend every pro day. We’ll hear reports of QB prospects visiting the facilities in Pittsburgh, and each meeting will have “gone well”, all without knowing how they truly feel about Allar.
Selecting a QB in the first round of the 2027 draft is likely and can still happen if they do like Drew Allar, although it wouldn’t be a ringing endorsement.
This final preseason game is likely our last look at Pittsburgh’s polarizing 3rd-round draft pick, and is he in the running to be the quarterback of the future? We won’t know until April 29th, 2027.
If you’re interested in the 2027 QB class, check out my top 10 QB prospects:
Joe Sutphin’s Top 10 QB Prospects of the 2027 NFL Draft
