Drew Allar’s new head coach, Mike McCarthy, who was presumably instrumental in the Steelers drafting the former five-star in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft, has a clear plan for his development. In Pittsburgh, Allar is going to strip everything down and build his footwork and mechanics back up from scratch.
The Steelers have given him quite the runway for his rehabilitation efforts, most notably by not adding another QB to the roster for rookie minicamp over the weekend and feeding Allar all of the available reps. That includes footwork drills, which have made the rounds on social media.
Predictably, many fans who watched Allar’s footwork in a minicamp video posted by Nick Farabaugh, who covers the Steelers for PennLive, have criticized the rookie QB. Surprisingly, though, former Pitt and James Madison quarterback Ben DiNucci, who played for McCarthy in Dallas, was one of the first to rush to Allar’s defense.
For anyone saying this is terrible / slow footwork you gotta understand the purpose of the drill
— Ben DiNucci (@B_DiNucci6) May 9, 2026
McCarthy would show us videos in Dallas of Aaron Rodgers doing drops under center almost daily.. exaggerate first step , get out from under center , have a good rhythm in your drop… https://t.co/jlR1CGxJ9B
Ben DiNucci shuts down Drew Allar criticism on social media
DiNucci, who had a few memorable starts in the NFL, explained the purpose of the drill in which Allar’s exaggerated footwork looked far too slow for the league. DiNucci also referenced Aaron Rodgers, who is likely to be the starter in Pittsburgh as Allar develops on the sidelines in his rookie year.
Rodgers took a trip to Pittsburgh over the weekend, but was not at the facility and reportedly did not communicate with the team during his time there. If Rodgers does not ultimately rejoin the Steelers and his former head coach from their days in Green Bay, Allar would likely find himself in a training camp battle with former Ohio State QB Will Howard for the starting job.
If that were the case, then Allar would likely be forced to expedite his development, at least somewhat, with a shot at real playing time in his rookie year. While that would be exciting, early playing time may not be what’s best for Allar’s career because it’s safe to assume he would inevitably revert to his old, flawed mechanics when under fire in his first NFL action.
For now, it seems the plan is to take a long-term mentality with Allar, spending time on his footwork and mechanics, along with rebuilding his mental approach to the position, getting him to attack more aggressively downfield and into tight windows. That will give him the best chance of having a successful NFL career, whether as a franchise QB or a long-term backup.
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