The Steelers added Penn State QB Drew Allar in Round 3 of the 2026 NFL Draft. A former five-star recruit, Allar arrived at Penn State with major expectations and became a three-year starter. He flashed early, even setting an FBS record with 311 straight pass attempts without an INT. His best season came in 2024, when he threw for 3,327 yards with 24 TDs and 8 INTs while helping Penn State reach the College Football Playoff quarterfinals. But Allar’s stock dipped in 2025. He returned to school despite NFL interest, then managed just 1,339 yards, 8 TDs, and 4 INTs before a season-ending ankle injury after six games. The underlying numbers don’t help much. Among 15 Combine QBs, Allar ranked 13th in adjusted completion rate, 10th in aDOT, and last in Big Time Throw rate. His rushing production ranked eighth when removing sacks.

The Pittsburgh Steelers selected Ohio State QB Will Howard with the 185th pick of the 2025 NFL Draft. Howard spent his first four college seasons at Kansas State, completing just 58.8% of his passes at 7.4 yards per attempt. But he transferred to Ohio State ahead of the 2024 season and led the Buckeyes to a national championship with an impressive campaign. Howard racked up 4,010 passing yards and 35 TDs on a 73.0% completion rate and 9.5 yards per attempt. He benefitted from playing with one of the best supporting casts in college football, but Howard also ranked ninth in the country in Pro Football Focus passing grade. He was especially effective throwing deep, registering the second-best PFF deep passing grade and the best adjusted completion rate on throws 20+ yards downfield. Howard doesn’t have the biggest arm but is an accurate and cerebral passer. He’s also an underrated athlete, earning an 8.80 Relative Athletic Score at 236 pounds. Howard averaged 20.5 rushing yards per game last year and was used on some designed runs by Ohio State.