Steelers Now
CBS Sports’ Ryan Wilson’s comp for Pittsburgh Steelers’ third-round pick Drew Allar is New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye. Maye had a breakout season last year, earning second-team All-Pro honors. He also led the Patriots to an appearance in the Super Bowl.
If Allar is anything like Maye, the Steelers would’ve got an absolute steal.
“If you’re looking for the optimistic path for Allar, it might look something like Drake Maye. The comparison isn’t perfect, but there are similarities,” Wilson wrote. “Going through my notes on Maye, many of the concerns sound familiar: inconsistent footwork, occasional accuracy lapses, a tendency to drift into pressure and stretches where he’d bypass easier throws in search of bigger plays downfield. Those concerns existed alongside flashes of a quarterback capable of making NFL throws that few players can. The anticipation, arm talent, athleticism and ability to create outside structure repeatedly showed up on tape. The data saw those traits too, which is one reason Maye projected so well despite the inconsistencies.
“That’s where things become less straightforward. Many of the concerns are similar, but so are the underlying strengths. The model liked Allar’s combination of experience, first-down production and relatively low screen dependency, while the tape showed a quarterback capable of making throws most passers simply can’t make. If the footwork becomes less frenetic, if the pocket management improves and if McCarthy can help him play more consistently on schedule, there’s a version of this story where people look back in a few years and wonder how a quarterback with Allar’s tools lasted until the third round.
“So does the comp to Maye hold up? More than I thought it might. If nothing else, the table below provides some useful context; the results are less about finding exact quarterback clones and more about identifying players who entered the NFL with similar questions. Some got there through the data. Others got there through the tape. And one QB kept showing up in both places.”
Penn State assistant head coach and cornerbacks coach Terry Smith admitted that the Nittany Lions’ system was not built for Allar.
Allar has experience in a vertically-based passing attack. Some knocks on Allar include: lack of rhythm and vision, poor decision maker and comes up short in big moments.
It appears Penn State’s offense contributed to some of those flaws.
“Yeah, you know, I’ve been known as the truth-teller here at Penn State. I think, unfairly to Drew, our system wasn’t built for him. It wasn’t made for him. Some of the decisions were taken out of his control,” Smith told Bob Pompeani and Joe Starkey of 93.7 The Fan in April.
Four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers has been showing Allar the ropes during spring practices. The third-round pick will have a front row seat to the last year of Rodgers’ career.
“I’ve definitely learned a ton,” Allar said. “Like Aaron’s done a great job of just being very open with me, answering all my questions. Pulling me aside during practices,...
