Penn State quarterback Drew Allar at his pro day on March 18, 2026. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
Former NFL MVP and Super Bowl champion Kurt Warner is very bullish on Pittsburgh Steelers’ third-round selection Drew Allar. He believes Allar could be the steal of the 2026 NFL Draft.
“When you watch him, you may say, ‘He is the most gifted thrower in this entire class, even ahead of Mendoza and Simpson, who I know a lot of people have ranked higher,” Warner said in a film evaluation of Allar. “But he is a natural, gifted thrower.”
“The talent jumps off the screen when you watch this guy throw. It is effortless for him to push the ball down the field. One of the questions always with a big-armed quarterback is — can they control that big arm and become consistently accurate as a thrower?
“If so, this guy could become the steal of the draft and could become the best quarterback in this class.”
Warner likes Allar’s skill set, but the Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback did mention that Allar has to improve his accuracy, ball placement, decision-making and pre-snap blitz recognition.
Penn State quarterback Drew Allar in a game against Villanova on Sept. 13, 2025. — Matthew Lynch / Nittany Sports Now
Jeremy Fowler of ESPN revealed that the Steelers believe Allar has similar traits to a division rival quarterback.
“Pittsburgh believes Allar has similar arm talent to a young Joe Flacco,” Fowler wrote.
Flacco, who’s still playing in the NFL with the Cincinnati Bengals at age 41, has always had insane arm strength. That skill set was really eye-opening when he first entered the NFL with the Baltimore Ravens in 2008.
Allar stands at 6-foot 5, 228 pounds. He has 32 3/4″ arms and 9 7/8″ hands. Lance Zierlein of NFL.com said Allar has an elite frame that looks like it was assembled in a quarterback factory.
“He had a good end of the season (in 2024). He can make throws that a lot of people can’t. He just can’t make a lot of throws that people need to make,” an NFC scout said, via Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. “I had a high grade on him last year. It just seems like the more he’s played, the more warts that have shown.”
Pelissero was also told by an NFC quarterbacks coach that Allar has Flacco-like traits.
“I went into my Zoom interview with him thinking he’d be kind of a dope, like the things that were happening on film. But he was incredible. Blew me away with his interview,” the NFC QBs coach said. “His knowledge of what they did at Penn State, his ability to call plays, all of it. He’s got a chance to be like a Joe Flacco. He’s big, he’s strong, he runs straight ahead fast. But does he have Joe Flacco’s s— to him?”
Mentioned In This Article: 2026 NFL Draft Drew Allar Kurt Warner Penn State Pittsburgh Steelers Steelers Steelers News