The Pittsburgh Steelers just finished putting together one of the NFL’s best drafts a few days ago.
Even after the success of that draft, there are a few positions that seem like they could be big needs for the Steelers a year from now.
They could need to replace Cameron Heyward. They still need another long-term answer at cornerback. There is also the looming question of what happens for them at quarterback after the 2024 season.
That question could be one they look to answer in next year’s draft.
In his “way too early” mock draft posted on April 29, The 33rd Team’s Marcus Mosher predicted that the Steelers would select Penn State quarterback Drew Allar in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Steelers’ Quarterback Situation
The Steelers are set for the 2024 season at the quarterback position.
Whether it’s Russell Wilson or Justin Fields, the team is going to have somebody under center who has shown they can be a capable starter in the NFL.
Beyond the 2024 season is where things start to get interesting again for the Steelers.
Right now, the team has three quarterbacks on their roster and none of their contracts go beyond 2024.
Wilson is currently 35 years old and looked like he was already declining over the last two seasons, posting the lowest completion percentage of his career in 2022 and his least yards in a season in 2023.
Kyle Allen is currently the third stringer and is just a depth option at the position.
Fields is the most interesting player for their future. He is only currently in his fourth year in the league and has shown flashes of real potential over the first three. However, there are still concerns about him as a passer that could cause the Steelers to hesitate about making him their franchise QB.
He’ll have a chance to prove he can be the guy for them over the next year, but if he doesn’t convince the Steelers, then they could find themselves looking for a QB again next offseason.
There’s a chance that they could take a big swing at the position if Dak Prescott really does reach free agency in 2025, but it seems much more likely that their next QB would be found in the draft.
Plenty of Chances for Allar to Impress
There were some solid parts of Allar’s first season as the starting QB for Penn State.
He threw 25 touchdowns passes while only being intercepted twice in 13 games.
However, there were also some major concerns. His career completion percentage in college is below 60%. He also barely got over 200 passing yards per game in 2023.
The biggest concern is that he disappeared in some of Penn State’s biggest games this past season.
In the team’s loss to Ohio State, he went 18 for 42 passing the ball for just 191 yards.
He was even worse against Michigan. In that loss, he was 10 for 23 and only threw for 70 yards.
His performance against Mississippi in the Peach Bowl was a bit of a mixed bag. He only completed 48.7% of his pass attempts, but he did throw for 295 yards, which was his second most in a game all season, and a pair of touchdowns.
Luckily for Allar and the teams scouting him, he’ll have plenty of chances to prove himself during the 2025 season.
The Nittany Lions open the season with a trip to West Virginia. In October, they’ll visit USC and Wisconsin. Then in November, they’ll take on Ohio State and Washington at home.
Those are all matchups that should have plenty of eyes on them where Allar will have chances to impress. Penn State is also a strong contender to make it to the College Football Playoff now that it is expanding.
That would give Allar another big game in front of a national audience.
Allar’s second season as a starting QB will tell us a lot about what he has to offer in the NFL and if he can put together a strong year, he could get to continue playing in Pennsylvania when he heads to the next level.
