Ben Roethlisberger on Steelers draft pick Drew Allar: 'Nothing jumped off the page'
Since retiring in 2022, ex-Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has not been shy about giving his opinion about the state of his former team.
On the latest episode of his podcast, "Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger," the two-time Super Bowl champion was uncertain about the the team's third-round selection of former Penn State quarterback Drew Allar in the third round (76th overall).
"This is one that I'm not sure yet if I love it or hate it - and hate's a strong word, there are a lot of good players you can get in the third round," Roethlisbergersaid on his podcast.
A six-time Pro Bowler who spent 18 seasons as the team's quarterback, Roethlisberger couched his opinion and noted that Penn State's stable of "stud" running backs limited Allar's chances to throw.
"I don't watch a lot of Penn State games," Roethlisberger said. "When I did watch, he never jumped off the page to me. Is he big? Can he move? Can he throw? Yeah. But there was never a time where I was like, 'Whoa.'
"This one, the jury's out (for) me right now. Again, there was nothing that jumped off the page for me. Whether that's good or bad, we'll see."
Roethlisberger said he expects to compete with 2025 sixth-round pick Will Howard for the backup job behind Aaron Rodgers, who remains unsigned but is expected to be the team's starting quarterback in 2026. (The Steelers placed an unrestricted free agent tender April 28 on Rodgers.) The team also has Mason Rudolph on the roster.
And Roethlisberger said that the Allar pick likely had little to do with Rodgers anyway.
"I don't think this was done because they know anything about Aaron," the 2004 Offensive Rookie of the Year said. "It wasn't like 'OK, we know Aaron's not coming, so we're doing this.' I think it's - we liked a big, physical quarterback ... down-the-road, Penn-State-type thing, but he is coming off an injury ... I think he had a lot of hype behind him at one point."
First-year Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy told reporters during the draft that the team wanted to grow the quarterback room.
"We don't want to rely on just one quarterback," McCarthy said.
Of Allar, McCarthy said he "liked everything about him."
"I think he's young. I think he's got a lot of room for growth," McCarthy said. "And he's a young man that can throw the ball with the best of them, and that's a great starting point to have."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ex-Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger not sold on Drew Allar NFL draft pick