Steelers May Have Next Drake Maye

PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers believe they have something special in their young quarterbacks. Will Howard was already here and Mike McCarthy has made it known he views him as much more than a sixth-round pick.

As for Drew Allar, he was hand-picked by McCarthy and general manager Omar Khan. He's the first quarterback to be taken by the new head coach in Pittsburgh, and the QB guru of McCarthy. That holds plenty of weight and shows how much the Steelers believe in Allar's potential.

They aren't alone, either. Some believe Allar has some serious upside and could make it work in the NFL. Maybe so much so, that he becomes a Drake Maye-level starter.

Comparing Allar to other NFL quarterbacks and trying to explain why there's real upside in the Steelers' rookie quarterback, CBS Sports' Ryan Wilson brought up an interesting name that stands out as a similarity.

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."

Could Drew Allar Become Next Drake Maye?

The Steelers didn't draft Allar to be a career backup. They believe in the Penn State product, even if they understand how limited he is because of his college experience.

The team feels very simply that if Allar went to a better program, or had better coaching, he would've gone higher in the draft because he would've developed better. That gives them all the confidence in the world that Mike McCarthy that work his magic and turn Allar into a starter at the professional level.

Yes, they Steelers do see the upside of a Maye. Maybe they won't say those exact words or aren't comparing to the two like Wilson is, but they see that level of success in Allar's future.

This season, it's all about developing him with the right coaches. McCarthy doesn't want any pressure on Allar outside of constantly learning and growing from the coaching staff and Aaron Rodgers.

Next year, he may have an opportunity to compete for playing time, but chances are, he's still growing.

Eventually, though, Pittsburgh hopes he's the next full-time starter for their franchise. And they would love it if he could be the next Drake Maye.

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