(File Photo: Source for Photo: FILE – Penn State quarterback Drew Allar (15) throws during the school’s NFL football pro day, Wednesday, March 18, 2026, in State College, Pa. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Mike McCarthy built his reputation in the NFL on mentoring young quarterbacks. He won’t lack for opportunities in his first season coaching the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Pittsburgh — which is still waiting for Aaron Rodgers to decide if he wants to run it back in 2026 — drafted Penn State’s Drew Allar in the third round of the NFL draft on Friday, turning to another nearby prospect a year after taking Ohio State’s Will Howard and four years after selecting Pitt’s Kenny Pickett.

Pickett flamed out in two seasons. The jury remains very much out on Howard, who spent a sizable chunk of his rookie year on injured reserve.

Enter Allar, who endured injury trouble of own last fall for the Nittany Lions. Once projected as a potential first-round pick during the early stages of his four-year run in Happy Valley, the 6-foot-5, 228-pound Allar is very much like Howard: a tall, strong-armed presence in the pocket who is hardly considered a sure thing as a pro.

Still, the Steelers saw enough to use the 76th overall pick on Allar, whose arrival gives the team another young arm to join a room that also includes veteran backup Mason Rudolph and — if he decides he wants to return for a 22nd season — Aaron Rodgers.

Quarterbacks coach Tom Arth said he believes the decision to take Allar will not have “any impact” on the team’s willingness to bring back Rodgers, who guided the club to an AFC North title in his first year with Pittsburgh.

Steelers general manager Omar Khan said whoever ends up being the franchise quarterback the team has lacked since Ben Roethlisberger’s retirement in early 2022 needs to be built to play in the AFC North. In that sense, Arth thinks Allar checks some pretty significant boxes.

“He has big hands, He has a strong arm. He’s built to last,” Arth said. “I think that when you’re talking about playing in the elements and playing the physical brand of football that it is in the AFC North, you need a guy like that. And Drew certainly fits that mold.”

Even if Allar didn’t quite live all the way up to the massive expectations that were placed upon his shoulders when he became the starter at Penn State in 2023. Allar passed for 7,402 yards with 61 touchdowns and 13 interceptions in 45 games but struggled against high-caliber competition.

Allar, who helped Penn State to a College Football Playoff berth in 2024, went 0-6 against combined against Ohio State, Michigan, Oregon and Notre Dame in his career, completing just over 50% of his passes with seven touchdowns against four picks.

Arth pointed to Allar’s footwork and consistency as things he’ll need to clean up as he transitions to the NFL. Still, the Steelers were won over by what Arth described as Allar’s “high ceiling” and his humility after his college career ended with an injury in a 22-21 home loss to Northwestern, a setback that came just before head coach James Franklin was fired.

“To see and to really learn and hear about the type of teammate that he was, the way that he helped his backup quarterback prepare, week in and week out in the meetings that the two of them had privately, it was really impressive to me,” Arth said. “And I think it just tells you the type of person that he is and the type a teammate that is.”

Allar grew up in Medina, Ohio — about 45 minutes south of downtown Cleveland — and his family holds season tickets to the rival Browns.

“I guess that’s out the window now!” Allar said with a laugh.

While Arth would like to see Howard and Allar compete to bring the best out of each other as they develop, Allar has more modest goals.

“My focus is just going to be on how I can make myself better 1 percent each day,” he said. “That’s gonna be my main goal, putting my head down and going to work.”

Allar was one of four selections by Pittsburgh on Friday. The Steelers selected Alabama wide receiver Germie Bernard in the second round, with Georgia cornerback Daylen Everette and guard Gennings Dunker from Iowa joining Allar as third-round picks.

(File Photo: Source for Photo: Pittsburgh Pirates’ Konnor Griffin reacts after hitting his first major league home run during the third inning of a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers, Friday, April 24, 2026, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf)

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Paul Skenes had a perfect game into the seventh inning, Konnor Griffin hit his first career home run on his 20th birthday and drove in three runs to help the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Milwaukee Brewers 6-0 on Friday night.

Skenes (4-1), the NL Cy Young winner, didn’t allow a base runner until Jake Bauers’ sharp single to right with two outs in the seventh. He was vying to become the first pitcher to throw a perfect game in American Family Field, previously known as Miller Park, which opened in 2001. There have been two no-hitters.

Skenes gave up one hit over seven shutout innings. He struck out seven and didn’t walk a batter. He threw 93 pitches — 62 for strikes.

Mason Montgomery and Isaac Mattson completed the one-hitter.

Skenes had another no-hitter close call in Milwaukee on July 11, 2024, when he allowed no hits over seven innings in a 1-0 win. The Brewers’ only hit in that game was Bauers’ single off Colin Holderman in the eighth.

Griffin hit a solo shot off Brewers starter Brandon Woodruff (2-1) in the third.

Nick Gonzales’ run-scoring single in the fourth extended the Pittsburgh lead to 2-0. The Pirates added another run in the fifth on Oneil Cruz’s RBI force-out. Ryan O’Hearn doubled and scored on Spencer Horwitz’s single as the Pirates lead grew to 4-0 in the sixth.

Griffin’s two-run single in the eighth put the Pirates up 6-0.

The Brewers made a series of moves prior to the game, recalling first baseman/outfielder Tyler Black and left-hander Shane Drohan from Triple-A Nashville. They also optioned right-hander Carlos Rodriguez to Nashville and designated outfielder Luis Matos for assignment.

Up next

RHP Mitch Keller (2-1, 2.79 ERA) was set to start for Pittsburgh on Saturday against Jacob Misiorowski (1-2, 3.04).

(File Photo of Aliquippa Quips Flag)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) Several Pro Football Hall of Famers and a community came together on Wednesday at the Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh for the premiere screening of “Hall of Fame High,” which is a documentary on the history of Aliquippa High School Football. This happened a day before the 2026 NFL Draft began in the Steel City. Former Aliquippa standouts and football greats Darrelle Revis and Ty Law as well as Hopewell standout and fellow football great Tony Dorsett were present at the event. The film was directed and produced by Jesse Washington, a longtime journalist and filmmaker who is now with ESPN’s Andscape. Washington took his vision into telling a story on how the small town of Aliquippa perseveres no matter what has been thrown at them. A Q&A Panel for the audience was also hosted by NFL Network host Rich Eisen. From the beginnings of Aliquippa as a steel town with a built-in toughness, to the closing of the mills and having to deal with the crack cocaine issues that swept the city, the documentary showcased what it truly meant to come from that town. According to Washington: “I couldn’t think of a more deserving city to tell a story about than Aliquippa, not just with their sports, but about the great things this town has done. Aliquippa has been through so much and has made great progress. Throughout this whole project, it has been a privilege to tell their story, and I am happy that they trusted me to do it.” In addition to Aliquippa’s story outside of the sports, the documentary tied into the story of the upbringings in Aliquippa of Dorsett, Law Revis and fellow Pro Football Hall of Famer Mike Ditka. It showcased the athletic prowess of the past players to wear the Quips uniform like Charles Fisher, Ditka, Law, Revis, and recent graduates like Tikey Hayes and Cam Lindsey and told much more.

(File Photo: Source for Photo: Texas Rangers pitcher Jacob Degrom throws to the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first inning of a baseball game Thursday, April 23, 2026, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Jacob deGrom struck out 10 over 5 2/3 innings, Evan Carter hit an inside-the-park home run while Corey Seager went deep and the Texas Rangers beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-1 on Thursday night in the rubber match of their three-game series.

It was the 62nd career 10-strikeout game for deGrom (2-0), who has a 2.13 ERA in his six starts. The 37-year-old, two-time Cy Young Award winner threw 63 of 89 pitches for strikes, allowed five hits and exited after issuing his only walk.

Carter’s two-run homer for the game’s first runs came when he lined a 97.5 mph full-count fastball beyond the reach of right fielder Ryan O’Hearn in the third inning. The ball ricocheted hard off the bottom of the wall and Carter rounded the bases for his first career inside-the-parker, and third homer this season.

That came two pitches after home plate umpire Dan Merzel signaled ball four, but that was overturned on a ABS challenge by the catcher Joey Bart and kept Carter at the plate instead of a walk.

Seager made it 6-0 in the fourth with his three-run homer, his sixth of the year being a 382-drive pulled into the right-field stands off Pirates rookie Bubba Chandler (1-2).

Chandler allowed six runs and seven hits while striking out four and walking three.

Oneil Cruz hit his eighth homer for Pittsburgh, a two-out solo shot in the fifth.

Pirates shortstop Konnor Griffin played his last game as a teenager, going 0 for 4 the night before his 20th birthday. He was the last batter of the game, striking out against Peyton Gray, a 30-year-old right-hander making his big-league debut with a 1-2-3 inning.

Gray was called up earlier Thursday after eight years going through the minor leagues, independent ball and four winters outside the United States.

Up next

Pittsburgh goes to Milwaukee on Friday night for the first of 10 consecutive games against NL Central foes. The Rangers stay home to open a three-game series against the Athletics.

(File Photo: Source for Photo: Pittsburgh Steelers fans hold up signs before the first round of the NFL football draft, Thursday, April 23, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) A record number of people attended the first day of the 2026 NFL draft in Pittsburgh yesterday. According to the NFL, the Steel City broke the Round 1 attendance record with more than 320,000 fans in attendance. The previous record was set by Detroit, Michigan on April 25th, 2024, when over 275,000 fans attended Day 1. Detroit still holds the record for the three-day event, after over 700,000 people were in attendance two years ago from April 25th-27th. 

(File Photo: Source for Photo: Arizona State offensive lineman Max Iheanachor runs during a drill during the school’s NFL football Pro Day, Friday, March 27, 2026, in Tempe, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Steelers invested another high-round draft pick along the offensive line.

The Steelers selected Arizona State offensive tackle Max Iheanachor in front of their hometown crowd with the No. 21 pick in the NFL draft on Thursday night.

“You can’t have enough big men up front,” new Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy said. “He’s a great fit for us and a stud of a young man. I think it’s an excellent pick for us and he’ll be a great addition to our offensive line.”

The Steelers nearly selected USC receiver Makai Lemon, but the Philadelphia Eagles moved up to the 20th pick in a trade with Dallas and selected the 2025 Biletnikoff Award winner as the nation’s top wideout.

“Pittsburgh called me and I thought they were going to draft me,” Lemon said. “And then the Eagles called at the same time. I guess it was meant to be.”

General manager Omar Khan said the Steelers were influenced by the Eagles’ decision to trade, but said that he was comfortable with adding Iheanachor to the mix.

“The way it shook out brought us to this position,” Khan said. “I think all those things that happened around us affect the conversation. It was the right pick for us.”

This is the third time in four years Pittsburgh drafted an offensive tackle in the first round.

The Steelers’ offensive line could use some reinforcements after veteran guard Isaac Seumalo left in free agency and as left tackle Broderick Jones – their first-round pick in 2023 – recovers from a neck injury that forced him to miss the last seven games of 2025.

There’s no timetable on when Jones might be ready, though he was with his teammates this week as part of the “medical group” when the Steelers held informal workouts.

“There’s a little bit of a concern,” Khan said of Jones’ injury. “We have guys on the offensive line that can play different positions. We have options.”

McCarthy didn’t rule out moving Troy Fautanu to left tackle. Fautanu, the Steelers’ 2024 first-round pick, played 17 games at right tackle last season.

“Those are discussions that will occur after the draft,” McCarthy said. “Position flexibility is bigger than ever in the NFL. To add Max to this group … I can’t tell you how excited I am with the pick.”

The 6-foot-5, 321-pound Iheanachor, started 31 games at Arizona State and was a second-team All-Big 12 Conference selection at right tackle. He was born in Nigeria, moved to the United States when he was 13 and played basketball and soccer before starting football in junior college.

Super Bowl 40 MVP Hines Ward was the wide receiver coach at Arizona State and told Khan that Iheanachor was a “true Steeler.”

“He’s a Steeler legend,” Iheanachor said of Ward. “I definitely got to experience what a Steeler is first-hand in the building and now I’m going into the building with the actual team.”

Iheanachor didn’t take a top-30 visit to the Steelers. McCarthy said Iheanachor started to stand out to them in February after the Senior Bowl.

“He’s only going to get better and better,” Khan said. “He’s such a talented football player. He hasn’t played a lot of football, but I’m excited what the future holds for him with us.”

An NFL-announced record crowd of 320,000 crammed outside Pittsburgh’s Acrisure Stadium for the NFL’s marquee offseason event. They twirled yellow Terrible Towels while “Renegade” by Styx played to welcome Iheanachor, the newest member of the team.

It was the first draft pick for McCarthy, a Pittsburgh native, who was hired to replace Mike Tomlin in January. Tomlin, who led the Steelers to a Super Bowl title in 2008, stepped down after 19 seasons as coach.

Pittsburgh won the AFC North last season, but the Steelers were routed 30-6 by the Houston Texans in the wild-card round, the most lopsided home playoff loss in team history.

(File Photo: Source for Photo: Pittsburgh Pirates’ Oneil Cruz celebrates his three-run home run with Brandon Lowe (5) in the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Texas Rangers Wednesday, April 22, 2026, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Pittsburgh Pirates star Oneil Cruz told Marcell Ozuna in the on-deck circle in the fifth inning Tuesday night that he would hit a home run, only to watch Texas center fielder Evan Carter make a spectacular, leaping catch over the fence in front of the visitors’ bullpen to rob him of a three-run blast.

Cruz had a similar exchange with Ozuna in the ninth inning Wednesday night before heading to the plate with two runners on, the Pirates having just pushed across a tie-breaking run. Cruz had struck out in three of his four previous at-bats.

No one could rob Cruz of this homer.

Cruz rocketed a cut fastball from Jalen Beeks left over the middle of the plate off the top of the right-field foul pole measured at 432 feet. The exit velocity of 116.9 mph made it the hardest-hit ball in the major leagues this season and second hardest ever at Globe Life Field, which opened in 2020. Houston’s Yordan Alvarez launched one 117 mph off José Ureña in August 2024.

Cruz has the record for the hardest-hit ball in the Statcast era, 122.9 mph off Milwaukee’s Logan Henderson on May 25, 2025.

He stood motionless in the batter’s box for a bit and followed the ball’s path, like a golfer watching his drive off the tee. He flapped his arms as he rounded the bases.

“I told him I was having a rough day, but that was the at-bat that I needed to do something,” Cruz said through an interpreter following the Pirates’ 8-4 win over the Rangers. “I said to him that I was going to hit a home run and he pulled me to the side and him me in the head really hard. And then I was on my way to hit.”

“That ball was killed,” Pirates manager Don Kelly said. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a – Ozuna may have hit one like that back in Miami in ’15, But, like, to hit a ball like that off the top of the foul pole, that was unbelievable.

“He’s staying in the moment regardless of what happens prior in that game, what happened in the previous games.”

Asked if he’d seen a replay of the blast, Cruz said he had not.

“I saw it person. I don’t need to see it.”

(File Photo of Senator Camera Bartolotta)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Harrisburg, PA) Senator Camera Bartolotta (R-46) said in Harrisburg yesterday that the Senate has approved legislation to protect the safety and opportunities of female athletes by requiring scholastic sports teams to be designated based on biological sex. Senate Bill 1293 would require public schools and colleges to label sports teams as male, female or coed. The legislation states that only biological females can join teams designated for women. The bill would also allow students to take legal action if they are harmed by violations of this rule. The legislation will be sent to the House of Representatives. 

(File Photo: Source for Photo: Pittsburgh Pirates’ Oneil Cruz (15) celebrates after hitting a three-run home run in the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Texas Rangers Wednesday, April 22, 2026, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Oneil Cruz had the hardest-hit homer in the majors this season, a three-run shot off the top of the right-field foul pole in the ninth inning that powered the Pittsburgh Pirates to an 8-4 win over the Texas Rangers on Wednesday night.

The Pirates took a 5-4 lead in the ninth when Nick Gonzales broke for the plate on pinch-hitter Jake Mangum’s one-out chopper to third base off Cole Winn (1-1). Josh Jung’s throw home pulled catcher Kyle Higashioka into foul territory, and Higashioka could not make the tag.

Cruz followed with his 116.9 mph liner that bounced off the top of the foul pole and into the stands. It was the second hardest-hit ball in the history of Globe Life Field, which opened in 2020.

Pittsburgh’s big ninth gave Gregory Soto (1-0) his first win as a Pirate, following his first blown save. The lefty reliever allowed Jake Burger’s two-run single in the eighth that tied the score at 4-all. Dennis Santana pitched a perfect ninth for his third save in four opportunities.

Bryan Reynolds’ fifth-inning single, which produced his 500th career RBI, was part of a three-run frame that gave the Pirates a 4-2 lead. Reynolds is tied with Bobby Bonilla for the most RBIs by a Pirates switch-hitter. He also scored Pittsburgh’s first run on Marcell Ozuna’s first-inning double.

Pirates starter Braxton Ashcraft set career highs with seven innings and 94 pitches, allowing Jung’s two-run homer in the second inning among four hits. Ashcraft grew up about 100 miles south of Globe Life Field near Waco.

Jung has an RBI in a career-best six consecutive games.

Texas starter Jack Leiter, who turned 26 on Tuesday, allowed four runs, three earned, in five innings. He hasn’t won since his first start this season, at Baltimore on March 30.

With a single and a walk, Pittsburgh’s Ryan O’Hearn has reached base in 20 of 22 games.

Up next

Rangers RHP Jacob deGrom (1-0, 2.29 ERA) will pitch on five days’ rest in Wednesday night’s series finale against Pirates rookie RHP Bubba Chandler (1-1, 3.15).