A Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl champion has voiced his discontent with the team's selection of a new quarterback in this year's NFL Draft. With the future of Aaron Rodgers still unresolved, the Steelers were in need of signal-callers on their roster.
While Will Howard has been taking reps as the QB1 in practice, the Steelers entered the draft with only Mason Rudolph as the other quarterback on the roster. That changed in the third round when Pittsburgh selected Penn State quarterback Drew Allar to add depth.
But this move drew criticism from former Steelers star Ben Roethlisberger, who cast doubt on the choice during the latest episode of his 'Footbahlin' podcast. 'This is one that I'm not sure yet if I love it or hate it,' Roethlisberger said. He added, 'I don't watch a lot of Penn State games. When I did watch, he never jumped off the page to me. Is he big? Can he move? Can he throw? Yes. But there was never a time where I was like, "Whoa."'
Roethlisberger went on to praise the quarterback already on the roster: 'Will Howard jumped off the tape to me way more than Drew [Allar] did.'
Allar's 2025 season was cut short after he suffered a severe ankle injury, limiting him to just six games for the Nittany Lions as Penn State struggled without him. Across four college seasons, Allar accumulated 7,402 passing yards, 61 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions, along with 12 rushing touchdowns.
Despite the skepticism, Steelers quarterback coach Tom Arth highlighted Allar's 'rare size' and 'effortless arm' as reasons for his potential success. 'I think what's most exciting, certainly when you're talking about the quarterback position, this guy can throw the football,' Arth told reporters. 'And I think he throws it as well as any quarterback in this draft class.'
