Noah Hiles: Drew Allar selection shows just how out of touch the Steelers have become

Noah Hiles, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Apr 25, 2026

Published in Football

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PITTSBURGH — Late Friday evening, I received a text from an old friend who was born and raised in the greater Cleveland area.

“Did we switch franchises?” he asked.

I genuinely didn’t know how to respond.

For years, I remember watching Browns fans obsess over NFL draft weekend. Heck, they made an entire movie about the city’s connection to the event. But spring after spring, they continually messed up draft day. Their missteps were often obvious from the jump, especially when it came to evaluating the most important position in the sport.

Going off that description, the appropriate reply to my friend might’ve been “yes.”

Just one day after aggravating nearly the entire fan base with their first-round selection, the Steelers on Friday made an even more questionable decision when they drafted Penn State’s Drew Allar 76th overall. The pick marks yet another obvious misstep by an organization that seemingly can’t get out of its own way.

Before we go any further, I’d like to establish one thing: I hold no personal ill will toward Allar. I’ve never met him and have no reason to believe he’s a dislikable human being. I just happen to think he’s a subpar quarterback.

I’ve followed Allar since his days on the high school gridiron. I have a few friends who graduated from his alma mater, Medina. I remember them telling me about this five-star quarterback prospect from their neck of the woods, one who’d committed to Penn State.

I was curious to see if he could become the quarterback that the Nittany Lions had always been missing, a true difference maker who could take their program to the next level. That never happened.

Allar has all the physical tools. His arm strength, speed and size are why he has made it this far. But for one reason or another, he was never able to put it all together. He was a decent player at Penn State. But decent college quarterbacks don’t typically pan out in the NFL.

His collegiate career was underwhelming. He was on multiple teams loaded with talent but could never find a way to win a big game. The most meaningful contest Allar played in ended with him throwing a back-breaking interception. And for some reason, the Steelers might actually be willing to trust him to run their offense next fall.

Penn State fans contend that Allar’s shortcomings are fixable. Most of them blame his lack of development there on James Franklin, along with the program’s revolving door of offensive coordinators. They say his accuracy, footwork and overall understanding of the game can improve through better coaching. The Steelers better hope they’re right.

We’re approaching a decade since the last time this city has seen stable play under center. Mike McCarthy is known for his ability to develop quarterbacks, which seems to be the primary reason he was hired to replace Mike Tomlin. But this current group will put his abilities to the test.

Prior to Friday, Mason Rudolph and Will Howard were the two quarterbacks on the Steelers’ depth chart. The former is an aging backup and the latter is, at best, a low-risk, high-reward project.

Neither would start for a team that truly aspires to contend in the postseason. The same could be said for 42-year-old Aaron Rodgers, who by prolonging his decision to return or retire is once again making the Steelers look foolish.

Now, Allar has been added into the fold — another uninspiring option.

This all might seem like a strong reaction to have toward a third-round draft pick. The Steelers selected three other players Friday, and I happen to think each member of that trio fits well on this roster.

No position, however, is more important than quarterback. The Steelers have struggled to find an adequate replacement for Ben Roethlisberger. Kenny Pickett failed, as did Mitch Trubisky, Justin Fields and Russell Wilson. Rudolph and Rodgers had some moments, but neither ended up being the answer.

It’s really hard to believe Allar will be the player who bucks that trend. We’ll spend all summer debating if he or Howard should be the primary hope for the future. Both will likely receive some form of an opportunity. And when they both inevitably show their inability to compete at the highest level, the Steelers will move on and we will start this whole process again.

Extended lack of success in the postseason. No stability at quarterback. Frustrated fans.

Does any of that sound familiar? The Pittsburgh Steelers aren’t the Cleveland Browns. But right now, they’re much closer to being a league laughingstock than a seventh Lombardi Trophy.