QB OF THE FUTURE? Early 2026 Mock Sends Penn State’s Drew Allar to Steelers in Hometown Draft!

Projections for which direction the Pittsburgh Steelers may take in the 2026 NFL Draft are already coming in.

Though the organization landed Ohio State's Will Howard in the sixth round this past weekend while also expecting Aaron Rodgers to eventually sign with them, they still need a long-term solution at the position.

Penn State's Drew Allar filled that void for Pittsburgh at No. 14 overall in an early mock draft from Pro Football Focus' Dalton Wasserman, which would keep the 21-year-old in-state.

He was the fifth signal caller off the board in Wasserman's trial run, as Texas' Arch Manning (No. 2), Clemson's Cade Klubnik (No. 4), LSU's Garrett Nussmeier (No. 5) and Arizona State's Sam Leavitt (No. 8) all went in the top-10.

Allar was eligible to declare for the 2025 draft and reportedly generated significant interest around the league, though he instead opted to return to the Nittany Lions for his senior campaign.

Rated as a five-star recruit by 247 Sports, the Medina, Ohio, native signed with Penn State as a member of its 2022 class.

Allar appeared in 10 games as a freshman, during which he threw for 344 yards and four touchdowns on 60 attempts, before taking over as the starter in 2023.

He was among the best quarterbacks in the nation at protecting the ball that season, throwing just two interceptions while simultaneously posting 2,631 yards and leading the Big 10 in touchdowns with 25 in 13 games.

Allar did throw eight picks in 2024, but his yards total jumped up to 3,327 as he threw 24 touchdowns on a 66.5 percent completion rate and led the Nittany Lions to a College Football Playoff berth, where they defeated SMU and Boise State before bowing out to Notre Dame in the semifinals.

An athletic quarterback with a strong arm and prototypical size, Allar will almost certainly end up on the Steelers' radar heading into next year's draft, which will take place in Pittsburgh.