Every offseason, NFL fans convince themselves they’ve found the next superstar quarterback. And every offseason, someone gets labeled a bust before the regular season even starts.
We’ve all seen it: preseason snafus due to timing with fourth or fifth string receivers, busted pass protection by backup linemen, or moments that make some players look too big, or too small. Every training camp clip gets hyped. Every exhibition game snap gets scrutinized. And that’s people critiquing situations that are all watered down versions of football before you get to the real deal.
Now? It’s gotten even worse.
We’ve reached the point where rookie quarterbacks are being evaluated almost entirely off a handful of social media clips from rookie minicamps, OTA practices, or basic drills. One errant move or throw becomes proof a player is “NFL ready.” One slightly off-target pass suddenly means a team drafted the wrong guy.
The overreactions happen instantly: and it’s ridiculous.
Ok, I’m here for the convo & to think out loud!
I was taught often to reach with backfoot to create depth, BUT after doing it for years I realized when doing that it shifts all the weight upfront in drop, so at top you have to do a big weight shift to get loaded!
— Kurt Warner (@kurt13warner) May 10, 2026
Practice clips have become the new scouting report
This is the clip that mainly sparked the debate in this article. The Pittsburgh Steelers opened their rookie minicamp with third round selection Drew Allar as their only quarterback participant. A such, Allar is receiving all of the reps in practice.
Because of what the credentialed media is permitted to film and share, the kneejerk reactions are often out of context. Fans begin dissecting footwork, release speed, the spiral of the ball, velocity, body language, you name it.
Heavens forbid if a receiver has to slow down for a pass, or if that same receiver runs the wrong route.
What’s lost on those critics is all of this happens in environments specifically designed to help quarterbacks succeed too. There are usually no pass rushes, no defensive disguises, heck, there’s no actual contact.
Sadly, people still talk about these clips like they’re definitive proof of what a player will become.
The reality is development isn’t linear
Obviously, rookie quarterbacks aren’t finished products entering the NFL. Many struggle at different stages. Some will improve, while some will not.
There’s very little patience from casual observers, especially those who believe someone like Allar should step right onto the field immediately. Even those who believe in sitting a quarterback for a year, to observe and learn, fall into these same analytical traps.
Even Warner’s observations conflict with the many X profiles that seem to have the answer. Whether those comments are right or wrong is definitely objective at best, as quarterback development depends on:
- Coaching
- Offensive scheme
- Supporting cast
- Confidence
- Health
- Timing
- And organizational stability
A viral practice clip can’t measure any of that. In fact, it’s probably ignoring all of the above because whomever shared it (in this case, beat reporter Nick Farabaugh) is limited in what he can say or show. He even states that it’s not “meant to look good right now.”
As for Warner’s comments, there may be several ways to arrive to the same conclusion. In Kurt’s case, the coaching staff played into his strengths. Right now, we are in an evaluation period with Allar where hopefully Mike McCarthy, renowned for his ability to develop passers, is doing the same.
This isn’t a final product. Yet, that hasn’t stopped the opinions.
Fans Want Instant Validation
Part of the problem is that everyone wants confirmation immediately. If fans liked the pick, they search for clips proving they were right. If they hated the pick, they search for clips proving the team made a mistake.
Every rep becomes evidence for an argument people already decided on weeks earlier. That’s not evaluation. That’s confirmation bias.
Social media amplifies everything too. Quarterbacks are under a microscope more than any other position in sports. It’s the most important position and the one that will receive the most focus.
Allar is the shiny new toy. He is the unknown that could provide hope for years of competitive Steelers football: or tank the team into oblivion. (Yes, that’s an extreme overreaction, but not much unlike what we see on social media!)
For example, one good throw gets reposted by dozens of accounts with captions claiming the rookie is “special.” A bad rep gets slowed down, clipped, and turned into a debate show topic within minutes.
The cycle repeats daily throughout the offseason with every morsel fans consume. Fans begin treating practice highlights like actual NFL production, and it’s unfair to everyone involved, from the players to the coaching staff.
We’ve seen this before
There are countless examples of quarterbacks who:
- Looked incredible in offseason workouts and struggled in games (cough, cough, Kenny Pickett)
- Had rough starts in camp before developing into quality starters (Joe Burrow comes to mind!)
- Were written off too early (Mason Rudolph)
- Were hyped far beyond reality (Justin Fields)
Real evaluation happens over time, not during controlled spring practices filmed from the sideline. Therefore, the NFL season is the actual test, but that’s only if the player proves, in practice, they are capable of replicating the same play in games.
Sometimes, those opportunities do not come — which also brings me to Will Howard. As a sixth round pick, Howard has no true edge to play over Allar, a third round pick, other than being on the team last season. That last season was with a different coaching staff, and Howard missed ample development time after being injured during the second week of training camp. He was later activated to the main roster midseason.
That hasn’t prevented some fans from believing Howard could be the team’s franchise quarterback of the future, without seeing so much as a similar clip as the one above with Allar.
Eventually, every rookie quarterback faces the same reality, that will determine their fate. They will go up against real pass rushers, complex defenses, and in-game situations. The adversity will follow, with higher expectations from various pressure (internally within the team and from the fans and media.) That’s difficult enough, without facing any setbacks due to injury. (Like Howard has had.)
Ultimately, that’s where quarterbacks are truly judged. It’s a multistep process that involves scrimmages, exhibitions, and potentially regular season action: not by whether a throw in shorts during May practice looked good on X.
Therefore we should pump our brakes, and our own expectations, allowing these young men to hopefully succeed without the added pressures of whether or not they are picture perfect during practice. After all, practice makes perfect… right?