The Pittsburgh Steelers have been looking for their next franchise quarterback since Ben Roethlisberger retired four seasons ago.
But it's not for lack of effort. Pittsburgh has taken every route possible to try to find its next signal-caller. First-round picks, veteran bridge options, former first-round retreads, and they still don't know for sure who their quarterback will be in 2026.
But not all hope is lost. There are two young quarterbacks with some degree of draft pedigree on the roster that Pittsburgh can look to.
Steelers future at QB can hinge on these possibilities
Will Howard was the team's sixth-round pick in 2025. I say he had pedigree because no one thought he'd go that late. Throughout the process, he was generally seen as a third or fourth-round pick after leading Ohio State to a National Championship.
Then there's Drew Allar from Penn State. One of Pittsburgh's third-round picks from this year's draft. Going into the 2025 college football season, Allar was thought of as a potential first-round pick once he chose to come out. But after a disastrous senior year in "Happy Valley", Allar found himself as a mid-round pick.
Will Howard
Will Howard had an interesting profile coming out of Ohio State last year. He's a big quarterback standing over 6'4 and weighing nearly 240 pounds, but he's more of a cerebral, timing, and accuracy-based passer.
During his last year of college, Howard worked primarily outside the numbers on throws, and on his deep shots, he allowed his talented wide receivers to do most of the work. But he always played with poise and was able to maneuver in and out of the pocket when necessary.
Howard also has a fan in the Steelers' new Head Coach, Mike McCarthy. Shortly after being hired by Pittsburgh, when asked about Howard, McCarthy said he would've taken the young quarterback sooner than the sixth round had he been with a team.
And in a recent radio interview, McCarthy talked about the progress Howard has already made, and calls him a starter in the NFL.
Drew Allar
But do actions speak louder than words? McCarthy drafted Drew Allar in the third-round of this year's draft for a reason, right?
Watching Allar for the first time last year, I remember thinking how much the ball jumped off his hand on all his throws - and how effortless Allar made it look. At 6'5, 228 pounds, Allar is also a bigger-framed QB, but his arm talent surpasses Howard's.
Allar gets the ball wherever he wants it to go in the blink of an eye. And, like Howard, Allar can get up and go as a runner when he needs to, and moves within the pocket well. But there is development needed as a passer.
Allar isn't the most accurate quarterback, to say the least. Particularly, having issues with passes to the sideline. And from a nuance-perspective, I don't see him throwing receivers open much on tape, as much as throwing to a person or spot on the field. So McCarthy will need to work his development magic that got him the job for Allar to hit his ceiling.
Ben's take?
Ben Roethlisberger recently weighed in on his own podcast, 'Footbahlin', saying Howard's tape from college jumped off the screen to him more than Allar's.
About Allar, Roethlisberger said,
"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.'"
After saying, "...Howard jumped off the tape to me way more than Drew did," he also noted the team could've used the 85th pick on a piece to help Howard, instead of going after Allar. A clear vote of support to Howard
Who will win out?
Roethlisberger's thoughts and the tape are aligned, in a way. Howard had a more successful and productive college career, especially if you focus on his year at Ohio State. Howard is more ready to play right away.
But Allar has the untapped potential that could lead to a truly special quarterback if it's all put together.
With the McCarthy offense providing a higher baseline than Pittsburgh has seen in a while, I expect Howard to step in as a starter before Allar, potentially as soon as 2026, and have a decent level of success.
But if McCarthy, the QB developer, can do what he was truly hired to do, Allar should be the quarterback before either player is off their rookie contract.
The ceiling for Howard is a good quarterback for a good offense. But Allar can be in another tier of quarterback.
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