Drew Allar drafted by Steelers: QB added as team awaits Aaron Rodgers decision

Is Drew Allar the NFL's next big thing? Well, one fanbase certainly hopes so.

The Penn State quarterback has been selected by thePittsburgh Steelerswith the No. 76 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. It's one of the more exciting picks from the class, considering where Allar was rated ahead of the 2025 season. The formerNittany Lionsquarterback didn't do himself any favors last season, but there's no question he possesses all the tools for success.

After all, there's a reason why many like to throw the Josh Allen comparison around.

Ranked as the fifth-best quarterback on USA TODAY Sports' big board, Allar possesses the size (6-foot-5, 235 pounds) and arm talent to become a superstar, but it all comes down to fit. If the quarterback meshes well with the coaching staff and collection of weapons, he is in line for great success at the next level.

Any great collection of tools can build something breathtaking, but it can also be dangerous. The focus will be on the coaching staff, but much of that also comes down to the user.

If Allar puts it all together, he'll have one happy group of fans and the wins to back it up. Time will tell where he falls on the list, but the story begins in Pittsburgh.

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Here's what to know about where Allar lands on the team's depth chart and his overall fit with the Steelers.

Quarterbacks headline early evaluations for the 2026 NFL Draft as teams begin sorting the best available prospects at the position.

See the college quarterbacks drawing attention as draft boards take shape ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft.

Above, Fernando Mendoza of the Indiana Hoosiers reacts after a touchdown against the Oregon Ducks during the fourth quarter of the 2025 College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on January 09, 2026, in Atlanta, Georgia.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Ty Simpson of the Alabama Crimson Tide scrambles during the first quarter against the Indiana Hoosiers in the College Football Playoff Quarterfinal at Rose Bowl Stadium on January 01, 2026, in Pasadena, California.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Garrett Nussmeier of the LSU Tigers drops back to pass against the Baylor Bears during the first half in the Kinder's Texas Bowl at NRG Stadium on December 31, 2024, in Houston, Texas.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Cade Klubnik of the Clemson Tigers warms up during the first half of a football game against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Williams-Brice Stadium on November 29, 2025, in Columbia, South Carolina.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Drew Allar of the Penn State Nittany Lions reacts after a touchdown against the UCLA Bruins during the fourth quarter at Rose Bowl Stadium on October 04, 2025, in Pasadena, California.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Miami's Carson Beck throws during the College Football Playoff National Championship college football game at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens on Monday, Jan. 19, 2026.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Arkansas Razorbacks quarterback Taylen Green passes during the third quarter against the Auburn Tigers at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Colorado Buffaloes linebacker LaVonta Bentley #20 tackles North Dakota State Bison quarterback Cole Payton #9 in the first half at Folsom Field.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Luke Altmyer of the Illinois Fighting Illini throws a pass against the Western Illinois Leathernecks during the first half at Memorial Stadium on August 29, 2025, in Champaign, Illinois.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Diego Pavia of the Vanderbilt Commodores makes adjustments prior to the snap during the second quarter of the game against the Texas Longhorns at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on November 01, 2025, in Austin, Texas.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />

See the top quarterbacks available in the 2026 NFL Draft

Quarterbacksheadline early evaluations for the 2026 NFL Draft as teams begin sorting the best available prospects at the position.See the college quarterbacks drawing attention as draft boards take shape ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft.Above, Fernando Mendoza of the Indiana Hoosiers reacts after a touchdown against the Oregon Ducks during the fourth quarter of the 2025 College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on January 09, 2026, in Atlanta, Georgia.

Steelers QB depth chart

• Mason Rudolph

• Will Howard

• Drew Allar

How does Drew Allar fit with the Steelers?

Allar doesn't have to move far from his college dorm as he heads from State College, Pennsylvania to Pittsburgh. Familiarity alone should make the transition an easier one for the now-former Nittany Lion, who enters a quarterback room that is wide open.

It all comes down to whatever Aaron Rodgers decides, which remains the biggest question hanging over the offseason in Pittsburgh. If Rodgers retires, Allar can compete right away for the starting job with Rudolph and Howard being the only remaining quarterbacks on the roster.

Given the fact that Mike McCarthy didn't bring the two incumbents on board, it stands to reason that Allar would have as good a chance as any to take that job. Many have been quick to draw a comparison to Josh Allen, since both players were far from finished products coming out of college.

Maybe he doesn't reach that height, but the idea is certainly exciting enough for a franchise that hasn't experienced stability at the position since Ben Roethlisberger.

If nothing else, the Allar pick continues to prove that the franchise has a type at the most important position in sports – big quarterbacks with strong arms. With some improved mechanics and accuracy, there might be something here.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Drew Allar to Steelers: How draft pick impacts Aaron Rodgers’ decision

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April 25, 2026

Drew Allar drafted by Steelers: QB added as team awaits Aaron Rodgers decision

Is Drew Allar the NFL's next big thing? Well, one fanbase certainly hopes so. The Penn State quarterback has been selected by ...

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PSG leads Lens by just 4 points as race for French league title heats up

PARIS (AP) — The suspense remains intense in Ligue 1, where Paris Saint-Germain is not as dominant as on the European stage at this crucial final stretch.

France League One Soccer

The reigning French championsdefeated Nantes 3-0at the Parc des Princes midweek but they had suffered a fifth loss in the French league last weekend — compared to two all last season — with a2-1 home defeat against Lyon.

With five Ligue 1 matches left to play, they have just a four-point lead over second-place Lens ahead of Saturday's trip to Angers.

Luis Enrique's team has to travel to Lens in May, after the leaguepostponed their game on April 11due to PSG’s involvement in the Champions League. And with PSG's busy schedule due to the Champions League, the Ligue 1 title is far from being decided.

“You wanted a more open and competitive league? You’ve got it,” Enrique said. “Lens is having a very good season, and it will be difficult all the way to the final match.”

Lens travels to Brest on Friday.

Key matchups

Although the duel in the title race is taking the spotlight, the battle for the Champions League places is just as close.

Seven-time champion Lyon leads fourth-place Lille on goal difference with the top three gaining direct entry to the Champions League and the side in fourth entering qualifying. Lyon hosts struggling Auxerre on Saturday while Lille travels to Paris FC on Sunday.

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Although its hopes of qualifying for the Champions League have been dented by a10th loss this season,Marseille remains hopeful, lagging just two points behind Lyon ahead of hosting Nice at the Vélodrome stadium on Sunday.

Fifth-place Rennes is also in the mix, one point above Marseille, and takes on Nantes.

Rennes has been transformed undercoach Franck Haise— who was won six of eight games since taking charge.

Players to watch

Afonso Moreira: The 21-year-old Portugal forward had his best performance of the season against PSG, according to his coach Paulo Fonseca, and was outstanding either breaking from the left flank or holding up the ball. He also combined well with Brazil forward Endrick in what could be a crucial partnership in the remaining games.

Dominik Greif: The imposing Slovakian has been brilliant in goal for Lyon this season and saved a penalty against PSG, following a standout performance in the previous game.

Esteban Lepaul: He was without a club a few years ago when Lyon released him and is now Ligue 1's top scorer with 17 goals for high-flying Rennes. Lepaul shoots with every precision and has a gift for finding space.

Ilan Kebbal: The Algeria midfielder is Paris FC's top scorer with nine goals and his outstanding recent form has been at the heart of the club's inspired turnaround under coachAntoine Kombouaré.

Out of action

PSG will be without Vitinha after the Portugal midfielder limped off with a right foot injury during the loss to Lyon. PSG said Vitinha is sidelined by an inflammation in his heel following a knock sustained during the match.

AP soccer:https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

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April 25, 2026

PSG leads Lens by just 4 points as race for French league title heats up

PARIS (AP) — The suspense remains intense in Ligue 1, where Paris Saint-Germain is not as dominant as on the European stage at this cru...

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‘I miss our land. Chernobyl broke us’: The families who lost their homes after world’s worst nuclear accident

Olena Maruzhenko remembers her mother sobbing when Soviet police told them to evacuate their home in the village of Korogod innorthern Ukraine.

Just 12km away, a reactor at theChernobyl Nuclear Power Planthad exploded, sending a shaft of blue light into the night sky and throwing clouds of radioactive material into the surrounding area.

Local authorities told Olena and their mother that they would only need to leave their home for three days. They had no idea that the worst nuclear disaster in history had unfolded.

“We believed we would definitely return,” Olena recalls toThe Independentas the world marks the 40th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster.

“The 26 April, 1986, is a date that is forever etched in my memory with black sadness. We could not imagine leaving our homes without knowing where to go.”

Olena and her mother were among 350,000 people who were evacuated from the Chernobyl exclusion zone. Hundreds of buses were sent to ferry workers from Pripyat, an industrial city created to house workers from the nearby plant located around 100km north of Kyiv.

The disaster began when reactor number 4 at the power plant exploded at 1.23am, after a test went catastrophically wrong.

In the days that followed, a massive and uncontainable release of radioactive material spread across Europe. Firefighters and workers were exposed to lethal radiation as they attempted to contain the blaze. Thousands of animals were mercifully slaughtered as residents were evacuated from nearby towns.

The Soviet government sought to downplay the scale of the accident.

In the forty years since Chernobyl, thousands of people have suffered devastating health consequences due to high radiation exposure, including thyroid cancer.

Vast areas were contaminated by the radiation, devastating the region’s environment. Luscious green forests turned a reddish brown, while vital soil for agriculture was polluted for decades.

Korogod was once a town surrounded by forests, rivers and lakes that provided rich sources of mushrooms, berries, fish and herbs sold in bustling local markets. After the disaster, it became a grey and decrepit ghost town in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, a 30km area restricted to human habitation.

The official Soviet death toll, given in 1987, was 31. But after including those who suffered lasting health effects, the toll is significantly higher.

The husband of Natalia Dykun, another resident of Korogod, was one such person. He was diagnosed with cancer after the disaster and eventually died from the disease.

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“We became hostages of the Chernobyl disaster,” she says. “The treatment did not help and he died very young. In almost every house near us, someone from the family began to get sick, and later almost every family lost a relative to cancer.”

Natalia was 28 at the time of the explosion. She recalls the silence from the Soviet authorities causing “great harm”, with residents “completely unprotected, both morally and physically”.

Most residents from the towns near Chernobyl only truly understood the scale of what had happened when they discovered new towns were being built to house them.

Natalia says she was “devastated” to see a new village being built in an open field with “no forest or water nearby”. Her home used to be surrounded by nature.

Olga Mikhalova was only 15 when she learned she would never be returning home. “The accident and evacuation changed us forever,” she says.

“Family ties were broken, neighbourly ties. We would not wish this on anyone.”

Olena, who was living with strangers in the aftermath of the tragedy, watched the news in tears when she found out new homes were being built. “I still dream of my village, my native house. I miss our land. The Chernobyl accident broke us.”

Slavutych, a planned city on the western bank of the Dnieper River, still houses around 20,000 people. It was built for those evacuated from the abandoned city of Pripyat, perhaps the most famous of those evacuated after the explosion. Chilling images of Pripyat, including its haunting abandoned fairground, are an enduring symbol of the lives and communities lost in just a matter of hours.

“When we realised that we would not return home, it was very difficult for us, the young, to come to terms with this, and it was even more difficult for the older generation,” says Olga. “This is a tragedy for many generations.”

As war rages in Ukraine, with Russian forces playing fast and loose around Chernobyl and the southern Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, experts have toldThe Independentthat we are closer than ever to another nuclear disaster.

For those who have suffered the most catastrophic effects of a nuclear accident, this is unthinkable.

“As a person who survived the evacuation, I feel especially acute anxiety when war touches nuclear facilities,” Olena says. “This causes fear and incomprehension, why humanity, having had such an experience, is taking risks again.”

Natalie fears for the future generations. “This irresponsibility of the enemy and the risks for the surrounding world of a repeat of the disaster are very frightening and we are in constant stress and fear. We are no longer afraid for ourselves, but for our children and grandchildren.

“Irresponsibility and insecurity in relation to nuclear energy and infrastructure is a crime before the whole world.”

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April 25, 2026

‘I miss our land. Chernobyl broke us’: The families who lost their homes after world’s worst nuclear accident

Olena Maruzhenko remembers her mother sobbing when Soviet police told them to evacuate their home in the village of Korogod innorthern ...

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Migrant caravan leaves southern Mexican city but many are no longer aiming for the US border

TAPACHULA, Mexico (AP) — Hundreds of migrants, most of them from Haiti, left the southern Mexican city of Tapachula on foot Tuesday seeking better living conditions elsewhere in Mexico.

Mexico Migration

Migrant caravans like the one that left Tapachula used to aim for the U.S. border. But many of the migrants leaving Tapachula on Tuesday said they had lost hope of making it to the U.S. due to the restrictions that the Trump administration has placed on asylum seekers.

Instead, the migrants said they wanted to settle down in large Mexican cities, where they may be able to find work and file asylum claims. Some of the migrants said that they had been unable to get responses for asylum claims in Tapachula, despite spending months in the small city near Mexico's border with Guatemala.

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“The United States is no longer an option for us” said Jerry Gabriel, a 29-year-old Haitian migrant. “We only want to make it to Mexico City, Monterrey, Tijuana or another place where we might be able to live.”

In March another group of several hundred migrants left from Tapachula on foot. But the caravan was dissolved after 12 days on the march, after the migrants made a deal with Mexican immigration officers.

During the administration of President Claudia Sheinbaum, who came into office in October 2024, there have been 18 migrant caravans leaving from Tapachula. None of them has made it past the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca.

Haitians account for a quarter of asylum petitions filed in Mexico. According to Mexico’s national agency for refugees, 127,000 Haitians filed asylum petitions in Mexico between 2020 and 2024.

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April 23, 2026

Migrant caravan leaves southern Mexican city but many are no longer aiming for the US border

TAPACHULA, Mexico (AP) — Hundreds of migrants, most of them from Haiti, left the southern Mexican city of Tapachula on foot Tuesday see...

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Appeals court keeps 'Alligator Alcatraz' open, rejecting need for federal environmental review

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — An immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades known as“Alligator Alcatraz”will remain open, an appeals court decided Tuesday, upholding its earlier decision to block a judge's order for the facility to wind down operations because it didn't comply with federal environmental law.

A majority on the three-judge panel from the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals said the Florida-run facility wasn't under federal control and didn't need to comply with federal law requiring an environmental impact review.

“Florida, not federal, officials constructed the facility,” a majority of the judges wrote. “They control the land and ‘entirely’ built the facility at state expense.”

At the time of U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams’ preliminary injunction, Florida had received no federal reimbursement, the appellate majority wrote. Williams concluded that a reimbursement decision already had been made.

The appeals court paused Williams' order just days after she issued it last August, pending a hearing. The hearing was held earlier this month in Miami.

Friends of the Everglades and the Center for Biological Diversity, two of theenvironmental groupsthat had brought the lawsuit, said they would continue fighting as the case returns to the district court for further litigation.

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“This fight is far from over," said Eve Samples, executive director of Friends of the Everglades. “Alligator Alcatraz was hastily erected in one of the most fragile ecosystems in the country without the most basic environmental review, at immense human and ecological cost.”

State officials openedthe Everglades detention center last summer to support President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. Earlier this month, a lawyer for two people detained there said in court papersthat guards severely beatand pepper-sprayed detainees.

In a dissent to the appellate panel's ruling, Judge Nancy Abudu wrote that immigration is a federal responsibility, and just because Florida built an immigration detention facility, it doesn't allow the federal government to abdicate its authority.

“The facility would not, and could not, have been built and used as an immigration detention center without the federal defendants’ request,” Abudu said. “The evidence of federal control perhaps is most apparent when we acknowledge that immigration remains uniquely and exclusively within the federal government’s domain.”

Follow Mike Schneider on the social platform Bluesky:@mikeysid.bsky.social.

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April 23, 2026

Appeals court keeps 'Alligator Alcatraz' open, rejecting need for federal environmental review

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — An immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades known as“Alligator Alcatraz”will remain open, an appeals...

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Secondhand clothing shopping spikes as Americans look to spend less and save money

Americans are shopping more forsecondhand clothingas they look to spend less and save money, according to a new report.

Shoppersare not only buying from secondhand retailers more but are also spending less on each purchase.

“The number of secondhand fashion transactions per household grew nine times faster than secondhand spending in March, yet consumers across all income groups are spending less on each purchase since April 2025,” according to a Bank of America Institutereportpublished Tuesday using credit and debit card data.

The secondhand clothing industry has received a lot of buzz over the past couple of years, with videos of shoppers’ hauls from thrift stores flooding social media.

Gen Z, who the report classifies as those born after 1995, have turned their passion for sustainable fashion into aside hustle.

The generational group made up 41 percent of secondhand sellers this year, up from 37 percent in 2024, according to the report. The overall number of Bank of America customers selling secondhand clothing increased 16 percent in March from the year before.

Secondhand shopping can give some relief toAmericans struggling with the cost of living, while making them feel good about their impact on the environment.

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“As inflation persists, and retailers confront tariff costs, consumers are facing higher price tags on apparel – about five times higher than they were a century ago,” the report said. “Beyond discount apparel, secondhand fashion offers consumers an environmentally friendly and economical alternative to clothing purchases.”

Inflation soared in March, mainly because ofhigh energy pricescaused by theUS-Israeli war on Iran.

The Consumer Price Index increased 0.9 percent in March from the month before. The cost of consumer goods and services rose 3.3 percent from the previous year, according to government data. The Federal Reserve has a target annual inflation rate of 2 percent.

Nearly a quarter of all households lived paycheck to paycheck last year, according to a Bank of America Institutereportfrom November 2025.

While the number of Americans who don’t have any wiggle room in their budgets continues to rise, the pace of growth has slowed nearly three times from 2024 levels, the report said.

Americans are also less confident this yearabout having enough money to be financially secure through their retirement, according to an annualsurveyconducted by the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) and Greenwald Research released Tuesday.

Just 64 percent of Americans feel comfortable with their retirement funds amid higher costs and rising concern about the future of social safety nets.

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April 22, 2026

Secondhand clothing shopping spikes as Americans look to spend less and save money

Americans are shopping more forsecondhand clothingas they look to spend less and save money, according to a new report. Shoppersar...

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Ford to recall over 140,000 US vehicles over damaged wires

Ford is recalling 140,201 Ranger vehicles in ‌the U.S. as damaged ‌wires can create an electrical ​short and cause a fire in the A-pillar area, increasing the risk of ‌injury or ⁠a crash, the U.S. National Highway Traffic ⁠Safety Administration said on Wednesday.

The sun visor ​or headliner wiring ​harnesses ​may be ‌improperly positioned or have excessive tape thickness, which can result in damaged wires, the regulator said.

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Dealers will ‌inspect the wiring ​for damage and ​update ​the body control ‌module software, NHTSA ​said, adding ​that the damaged wiring harnesses will be replaced ​as ‌necessary.

(Reporting by Disha Mishra ​in Bengaluru; Editing by ​Nivedita Bhattacharjee)

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April 22, 2026

Ford to recall over 140,000 US vehicles over damaged wires

Ford is recalling 140,201 Ranger vehicles in ‌the U.S. as damaged ‌wires can create an electrical ​short and cause a fire in the A-pill...

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