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Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy raved about quarterback Will Howard again after the team selected QB Drew Allar.
During the 2026 NFL Draft process, NFL insider Mike Florio theorized that all the glowing reviews for quarterback Will Howard might be a draft smokescreen. That appeared to be at least partially the case, as the Steelers grabbed Penn State signal-caller Drew Allar during the third round of this year’s draft.
However, even with Allar securely on the roster, first-year Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy still appeared to go out of his way to heap praise on Howard.
“I was very impressed with Will [Howard] last week,” said McCarthy to reporters Saturday after the 2026 NFL Draft. “I know he’s a good athlete…
“I’m excited about both [Howard and Mason Rudolph].”
To begin Pittsburgh’s offseason workouts, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero called Howard the QB1. The team also had Mason Rudolph on its roster to begin the workouts.
Allar, though, will now enter the mix as a much earlier draft pick. The Steelers selected Allar in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
The team picked Howard at No. 185 overall in the sixth round. That selection came last year with Mike Tomlin was still head coach.
Dave Holcomb is a sports reporter covering the NFL and MLB for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Pittsburgh Steelers and a variety of other NFL teams. Originally from Pittsburgh, Holcomb has covered college and professional sports for outlets including FanSided, Rotowire and Yardbarker. More about Dave Holcomb