Steelers Insider Gerry Dulac on Team’s Longterm Plans for QB Drew Allar

Mike McCarthy wanted Drew Allar. Steelers insider Gerry Dulac confirmed that on the show, and laid out the long-term thinking behind the third-round pick.

The choice was not built around a comparison to Will Howard. It was built around upside.

"All along I was told that the Steelers would only draft a quarterback if they felt that, at least modestly, he had a bigger upside than Will Howard," Dulac said. "And obviously they think that is the case."

The Carson Beck name came up early as McCarthy's other target after the first round. Beck was already gone by the time the Steelers were on the clock, but Dulac said it would not have mattered.

"Even if he were there when the Steelers picked in the third round, Mike McCarthy was taking Drew Allar," Dulac said.

The case for Allar is the obvious one. The measurables are off the charts. The arm. The size. The ability to make any throw.

The case against him is also obvious, and Dulac did not duck it.

"Part of, you know, people saw it, his ability to underperform in big games is the biggest drawback of this guy," Dulac said.

The opposite was true of Howard, in Dulac's read.

"Will Howard, who performed his best in the biggest games when they won the national title, went on that playoff run," Dulac said.

The early evaluation has already started. Dulac said McCarthy gave Allar the entire workload at rookie minicamp. Allar was the only quarterback McCarthy brought in.

"He gave him all the work," Dulac said. "It was a pretty good workout for Drew Allar, but he wants to take a look at this guy and find out what he and Will Howard have. Hopefully they get to play a preseason game."

Rich asked Dulac whether it was true the Steelers broke Allar down completely and threw out everything he had learned at Penn State.

Dulac softened the framing.

"I think what that is, is they're doing that with his footwork and the way they had, first of all, putting him under center, which is step number one," Dulac said. "And then rolling him out of the pocket, play-action stuff, moving his feet. Mike McCarthy, you've probably heard him say, he's a big footwork guy."

The breakdown, Dulac clarified, is not about Allar's throwing motion. It is about the part of the game that wins on Sundays.

"It's more his footwork and his ability to maybe drift in the pocket, out of the pocket, whatever the case may be," Dulac said.