Setting the best fits for a quarterback in the NFL Draft is a difficult task, especially when the player isn’t likely to go in the first round, because there are conflicting interests at play.
One way to do the best draft fits is to connect the player with the teams that give them the shortest path to playing time. However, those teams are rarely the ones best served to maximize that player’s long-term development. Yet, the best quarterback factories with QB whispers in the head coach’s chair tend to already have a quarterback in place.
So, let’s account for each of these interests by identifying the best short-term and best long-term fits for Drew Allar in the 2026 NFL Draft. Ideally, for Allar, that Venn diagram will overlap with the franchise that ultimately calls his name this spring in Pittsburgh.
Best short-term fits for Drew Allar in the 2026 NFL Draft
There are still plenty of dominoes yet to fall, with Malik Willis as the top name on the free agent market, and the Cardinals planning to release Kyler Murray if they can’t find a trade partner for the former No. 1 overall pick. However, it’s pretty clear that the Steelers are either going to ride with Aaron Rodgers, who is staring down his 43rd birthday next December, or 2025 sixth-round pick Will Howard.
Either way, Allar could be a viable mid-round option for the Steelers, who are loaded up on compensatory picks, and he could get an opportunity to start, if not right away, at some point in 2026 for the Steelers.
Is it Christian Hackenberg Part 2? Possibly, but the Jets aren’t likely to spend either of their two first-round picks on a quarterback, and after the Justin Fields debacle last season, it would be hard to imagine the franchise signing Willis or even Murray to a similar type of deal.
Fields is still on the roster, as is Tyrod Taylor, so the Jets have options, but none with any real upside. Allar could see the field quickly in New York, but getting plugged into the Jets’ offensive ecosystem would be disastrous for his long-term development.
Best long-term fits for Drew Allar in the 2026 NFL Draft
The Vikings aren’t giving up on JJ McCarthy after his struggles and injury-plagued seasons, but they would be derelict in their duties not to add experience and upside to their QB room. Allar could be the upside, and with Kevin O’Connell’s proven track record as a quarterback whisperer, he could make the most of Allar’s enticing raw tools in the NFL. However, if McCarthy finds his way or Murray winds up in Minnesota and revitalizes his career as Sam Darnold did in 2024, Allar could spend his entire rookie contract on the sidelines.
The Panthers might be my favorite overall destination for Allar to have success in the NFL. After spending half of his senior year injured, I’m not sure that watching from the sidelines is what he needs to get his pocket management and post-snap processing up to NFL standards. However, a bit of time on the bench would allow him to clean up his mechanical issues with an NFL coaching staff.
However, Bryce Young is entering the final year of his rookie deal in 2026 before his fifth-year option kicks in for 2027. And despite making the playoffs last season, Carolina can’t afford to hand Young a long-term deal. So, Allar would be the perfect mid-term developmental project for head coach Dave Canales, who has maximized Young’s limited physical skillset. Allar would serve as an insurance policy to allow Carolina to move on from Young without diving completely back into the QB abyss.