One of the most polarizing picks made by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2026 NFL Draft was quarterback Drew Allar in Round 3 — and a new report indicates that there are definitely some growing pains early in his NFL development.
According to NFL reporter Mike DeFabo of The Athletic, Allar hasn’t looked great early: throwing plenty of inaccurate passes and reportedly being far from ready to play at the professional level.
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“This is a guy who’s not ready to play at the NFL level,” DeFabo said via 93.7 The Fan. “They need to do considerable work with some of his mechanics, specifically his lower half and his footwork… I’ve seen Drew Allar throw a handful of passes, but a lot of those were inaccurate passes. He’s not, to me, looked great. He’s looked like a guy that is 6-5 and has 10-inch hands and has an unbelievable arm but also needs a lot of work.”
Allar, selected by the Steelers with the 76th overall pick in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft, showed a lot of promise early in his collegiate career at Penn State — but poor play and injuries ultimately derailed his trajectory.
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Photos of Steelers’ newest quarterback from 2026 NFL Draft
Penn State quarterback Drew Allar prepares to throw a 3-yard touchdown pass to KeAndre Lambert-Smith during a White Out football game against Iowa Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023, in State College, Pa. The Nittany Lions shut out the Hawkeyes, 31-0.
(Dan Rainville, Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK)
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Photos of Steelers’ newest quarterback from 2026 NFL Draft
Penn State quarterback Drew Allar prepares to throw a 3-yard touchdown pass to KeAndre Lambert-Smith during a White Out football game against Iowa Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023, in State College, Pa. The Nittany Lions shut out the Hawkeyes, 31-0.
(Dan Rainville, Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK)
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Photos of Steelers’ newest quarterback from 2026 NFL Draft
Penn State quarterback Drew Allar rolls to his right before completing a 2-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Warren during a White Out football game against Iowa Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023, in State College, Pa. The Nittany Lions shut out the Hawkeyes, 31-0.
(Dan Rainville, Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK)
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Photos of Steelers’ newest quarterback from 2026 NFL Draft
Penn State quarterback Drew Allar (15) scores a touchdown on a 1-yard run during the first half of a NCAA football game against Massachusetts Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023, in State College, Pa.
(Dan Rainville, Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK)
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Photos of Steelers’ newest quarterback from 2026 NFL Draft
Nov 11, 2023; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Drew Allar (15) runs the ball into the end zone for a touchdown against the Michigan Wolverines during the second quarter at Beaver Stadium. Michigan won 24-15. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O’Haren-USA TODAY Sports
(Matthew O’Haren, Matthew O’Haren-USA TODAY Sports)
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Photos of Steelers’ newest quarterback from 2026 NFL Draft
Aug 31, 2024; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Drew Allar (15) throws a pass to Penn State Nittany Lions wide receiver Harrison Wallace III (6) for a touchdown during the second quarter against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports
(Ben Queen, Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports)
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Photos of Steelers’ newest quarterback from 2026 NFL Draft
Sep 7, 2024; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Drew Allar (15) rushes for a touchdown during the first quarter against the Bowling Green Falcons at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O’Haren-Imagn Images
(Matthew O’Haren, Matthew O’Haren-Imagn Images)
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Photos of Steelers’ newest quarterback from 2026 NFL Draft
Nov 23, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Drew Allar (15) runs for a touchdown against the Minnesota Golden Gophers during the second quarter at Huntington Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images
(Matt Krohn, Matt Krohn-Imagn Images)
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Photos of Steelers’ newest quarterback from 2026 NFL Draft
Penn State quarterback Drew Allar tosses a 31-yard touchdown pass to Kyron Hudson (not pictured) in the first half of an NCAA football game against Nevada, Saturday, August 30, 2025, in State College, Pa.
(Dan Rainville, Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
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Photos of Steelers’ newest quarterback from 2026 NFL Draft
Nov 16, 2024; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Drew Allar (15) motions to his team during the second quarter against the Purdue Boilermakers at Ross-Ade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images
(Marc Lebryk, Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images)
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Photos of Steelers’ newest quarterback from 2026 NFL Draft
Nov 23, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Drew Allar (15) warms up before the game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Huntington Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images
(Matt Krohn, Matt Krohn-Imagn Images)
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Photos of Steelers’ newest quarterback from 2026 NFL Draft
Nov 23, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Drew Allar (15) warms up before the game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Huntington Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images
(Matt Krohn, Matt Krohn-Imagn Images)
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NFL draft analyst scathing evaluation of Steelers QB Drew Allar
Nov 23, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Drew Allar (15) warms up during a T.V. timeout during the first quarter against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Huntington Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images
(Matt Krohn, Matt Krohn-Imagn Images)
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Photos of Steelers’ newest quarterback from 2026 NFL Draft
Sep 2, 2023; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Drew Allar (15) throws a pass during a warm up prior to the game against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O’Haren-USA TODAY Sports
(Matthew O’Haren, Matthew O’Haren-USA TODAY Sports)
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ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. gives the Steelers a B for 2026 NFL Draft class
Nov 19, 2022; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Drew Allar (15) throws the ball against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights during the second half at SHI Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
(Vincent Carchietta, Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports)
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Photos of Steelers’ newest quarterback from 2026 NFL Draft
Apr 15, 2023; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Drew Allar (15) walks off the field following the competition of the Blue White spring game at Beaver Stadium. The Blue team defeated the White team 10-0. Mandatory Credit: Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports
(Matthew OHaren, Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports)
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Photos of Steelers’ newest quarterback from 2026 NFL Draft
Penn State freshman quarterback Drew Allar takes off with the ball during the 2022 Blue-White game at Beaver Stadium on Saturday, April 23, 2022, in State College.
Hes Dr 042322 Bluewhite
(Dan Rainville, Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK)
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Photos of Steelers’ newest quarterback from 2026 NFL Draft
Sep 1, 2022; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Drew Allar (15) passes the ball in the second half against the Purdue Boilermakers at Ross-Ade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
(Trevor Ruszkowski, Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports)
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Bold prediction has Steelers giving rookie QB starting nod if Aaron Rodgers doesn’t return
Penn State’s Drew Allar (15) throws the pass during the second half of the Indiana versus Penn State football game at Memorial Stadium on Satruday, Nov. 5, 2022.
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(Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times, Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK)
Despite his struggles, Allar is almost a guaranteed lock to make the final roster after the team took him in the third round — but if Howard and Rudolph impress this offseason, it could impact the Steelers’ four-man quarterback decision.
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This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: Steelers’ Drew Allar faces concerning report after early struggles