Wyoming Football: Is Josh Allen a sure-fire franchise quarterback?
Scouting Report
Josh Allen is a gunslinger.
And according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, he will be the No. 1 player selected in the 2018 NFL Draft — “put it in the books.”
When evaluating Allen’s tape it becomes incredibly evident that he wants to make the big play on ever play, regardless of overages, blitzes or field position.
On this play we can see exactly why so many scouts are absolutely enthralled with this kid.
After receiving the snap from the shotgun formation, Allen is met almost immediately by a blitzing linebacker. Josh evades the first would-be tacker, but again finds himself facing pressure with no lineman to defend him. Instead of taking off and attempting to run for the first down on third-and-12 with 57 seconds to go in the half, Allen instead keeps his eyes down field and throws a 50-yard bomb to the corner of the end-zone for a touchdown.
While this play shows his elusiveness and vision, the most impressive part of this play is that Josh makes the throw without the luxury of planting his feet. This throw is pure arm talent.
While this isn’t an in-game highlight, it still has merit in his evaluation. While working out at Wyoming’s spring practice, Allen launched on a 78-yard (yes, seriously) pass. While very rarely will a player have to sail the ball 78 yards in the air, it does show his A+ arm strength and give Aaron Rodgers a run for his money as the best Hail Mary passer in the NFL.
This series of plays gives foresight into how Allen would operate in a professional offense fairly well. The first play show’s Allen’s ability to perform a three-step drop. After receiving the ball from the center, Allen takes three steps back, sets his feet and throws a 30-yard touchdown to his open outside receiver. While the front shoulder throw is fairly standard, the footwork displayed on the pass is NFL caliber.
The second play, however, shows both positive and negative aspects of Allen’s game. Josh is rolled out on the play and is immediately met with pressure from the right side of the line. Allen continues to keeps his eyes down the field (which could help to explain why he sustains so many sacks) and launches a 30-yard pass right into the hands of his receiver for a touchdown.
While the play does show off Allen’s impressive vision and elusiveness, it also shows off the negative side of his gunslinger mentality. Josh throws the ball off of his back foot. Even though this play ended with a big play, back foot throws often result in under-thrown balls, and more interceptions. Josh’s commitment to making a play should be commended, but this commitment can lead to plays that ultimately hurt his team in the end.