Drew Allar saw his dreams come true last month when the Pittsburgh Steelers selected him with the 76th pick in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft. 

The Medina, Ohio, native arrived in Happy Valley as a five-star recruit with great arm potential. Despite playing in a college offense that wasn’t tailored to his skill set, his strength and build proved to be enough of a reason for Pittsburgh to take the early chance on Allar.

This past week, the quarterback, along with other draft picks and undrafted free agents, took part in the NFL rookie minicamp, allowing him a first taste of professional football and a chance to work with the Steelers’ coaching staff.

Among those coaches is Mike McCarthy, the man in charge of the black and gold ahead of his first season with the team.

McCarthy is widely considered one of the NFL’s great quarterback developers, possessing extensive knowledge of the position and having a track record of coaching some of the most successful signal callers in recent league history.

His most notable quarterback connection was with Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay, where McCarthy coached the legend to a Super Bowl title and two MVPs. More recently, he stepped into the head role in Dallas, where Dak Prescott flourished under one of the league’s most explosive offenses.

And while Rodgers and Prescott are two of the more current names, some of McCarthy’s true developmental successes have come courtesy of his work with sixth-round pick Steve Bono, fourth-round pick Rich Gannon, and even Brett Favre, who saw a boost in production late in his career under McCarthy’s guidance.

Many NFL scouts believe Allar is one of the most intriguing sleeper talents of the draft class and could come into his own at the professional level with the right coaching. McCarthy will look to be that guy to help the Penn Stater take that next step.

“He’s physically gifted. He’s a gifted thrower of the football. But he’s no different than any other young quarterback I’ve had the opportunity to work with,” McCarthy said of Allar. 

In the few days the coach has had to evaluate the new addition to his quarterback room, one of Allar’s weaknesses has emerged above the rest: his footwork.

Footwork was cited as an issue for Allar during his time at Penn State and as he headed into the draft. Prior to Allar’s 2025 senior season, NFL.com analyst and former scout Daniel Jeremiah identified the quarterback’s shaky feet as a driving force behind errant throws and costly turnovers.

“[Allar] gets sped up and loses control of ball flight,” Jeremiah said. “He needs to quiet his feet and smooth out his delivery. The good news is that it’s easily fixable.”

Yet apparently, the Nittany Lion coaching staff could not help their quarterback fix the lingering issue. During his final season under the leadership of Danny O’Brien and James Franklin, Allar continued to struggle with the basics of establishing proper mechanics.

In a video that surfaced from Pittsburgh’s minicamp, Allar was seen going through drills to adjust his technique during one of his first practices with the team. He received online criticism for his seemingly sloppy form, though the exercise was likely slowed and exaggerated to aid learning.

Drew Allar working here today at rookie minicamp pic.twitter.com/mC836veB1S

— Nick Farabaugh (@FarabaughFB) May 9, 2026

“Everybody teaches footwork differently; everybody has a system of offense and how you tie your quarterback, particularly in the pass game, to that. There’s a lot of work there. We were able to adjust some fundamentals to help him,” McCarthy said.

For a coach, correcting this is a crucial starting point for further quarterback development. While Allar spent most of his Penn State career operating out of the shotgun, learning proper footwork will help him excel in a new scheme.

“It gives you the ability to play faster. It gives you the ability to transition in and out of the challenges that occur throughout quarterback play,” McCarthy said. “What we’re teaching him is different from the way he’s played before. He hasn’t spent a lot of time under center. He was a run-and-shoot guy in high school.”

Allar has been receptive to the feedback he’s received thus far from McCarthy and acknowledges his shortcomings in his footwork as well. 

“Anytime you can talk to coach McCarthy one-on-one, especially when it’s about quarterback play and fundamentals, [is valuable]. I feel like I’ve grown a lot, and just really understand his philosophy a lot more,” Allar said. “For me right now, it’s a lot with my lower half. Just cleaning up footwork and getting used to the terminology that they’re talking about that’s incorporated with this offense. It’s a little bit different from what I’ve been used to.” 

While Allar’s comments are seemingly innocuous, they once again raise serious concerns about his collegiate development under quarterback coach O’Brien.

Allar was one of O’Brien’s biggest supporters throughout his career in blue and white. However, one week of work with an NFL coaching staff has shown that O’Brien’s critics of Allar’s development and preparedness may have a point.

Both the rookie and McCarthy continued to emphasize the need to rework the basics to help Allar progress, which might raise a few eyebrows given the circumstances.

“All the quarterbacks [McCarthy has] worked with, obviously, have all had tremendous success,” Allar said. “That’s something I do want to achieve, but I’ve got to start from the ground up.” 

ESPN’s Brooke Pryor went so far as to say the team spent minicamp “uninstalling everything [Allar] has learned,” a not-so-subtle indictment of his development at Penn State under Franklin and his staff. She adds that “widening his base to keep him off his toes” has been the point of emphasis.

One quarterback is keeping us on our toes, while another is trying to stay off of his.

More on Allar on https://t.co/mDT4YhTTZR and on @SportsCenter https://t.co/WJRkBvfYBx pic.twitter.com/uUWygVirBk

— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) May 13, 2026

Aside from ironing out some of his key flaws, Allar has impressed thus far as he continues to learn and grow with his new team.

The Steelers’ quarterback room entering 2026 hinges largely on 42-year-old Rodgers, whose career intentions have become unclear just four months before the season. If he decides to return to Pittsburgh, there’s no doubt who the starter will be, as McCarthy will reunite with his former signal caller for perhaps one last ride.

But if Rodgers has played his last snap of professional football, the role is open, and it will likely come down to competition from within the quarterback room of Mason Rudolph, Allar, and his former Big Ten Buckeye foe, Will Howard.

While McCarthy is outwardly hoping for a Rodgers reunion, he has been pleased with Allar’s progress prior to joining his teammates for OTAs.

“For a rookie, to get the attention he’s received since Thursday has been outstanding. I’m really looking forward to getting him in the room with Will [Howard] and Mason [Rudolph],” McCarthy said.

The head coach also noted that Allar has received a large volume of reps, taking a lofty 35 snaps in a team drill. McCarthy acknowledged the challenge but was pleased with how Allar responded. Part of rookie minicamp is adapting to an NFL workload, and the young quarterback passed the first test.

“He made a very good first impression,” McCarthy said.

As for Allar, the adjustment period for both the technical and physical learning curves has been something he’s relished. Growing up in Ohio as a fan of the Cleveland Browns, the AFC North runs through his blood. Getting his chance to play in the NFL is a dream realized, and one he will cherish every step of the way.

“I don’t think it’s overwhelming at all, it’s a lot of fun,” Allar said. “This is what I’ve worked for basically since high school, to have an opportunity to play in the NFL. I’m definitely not taking it for granted. I’m with a great organization. I couldn’t be more happy or excited for myself just to be in this position.”