2018 NFL Draft Profile: Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen

The 2018 NFL Draft is loaded with high end quarterbacks. Wyoming’s Josh Allen has all-world potential but will that equate to a first round selection?

Josh Allen is the quarterback believed to have the largest upside entering the 2018 NFL Draft. The junior quarterback from the Wyoming Cowboys has the NFL size and arm strength that scouts drool over. The issue is, he hasn’t backed it up in his opportunities in front of larger audiences.

The 21 year old quarterback is 6-foot-5 and 230 pounds out of Firebaugh High School in California. He led the Cowboys to two bowl appearances as the starting quarterback: the 2016 Poinsettia Bowl and the 2017 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.

In 2016, Allen became all the rage as the Cowboys won eight games for the first time since 2011. Head football coach Craig Bohl was a proven winner at the FCS level and has turned the doormat Cowboys into back-to-back eight game winners and even bowl game winners, on the strong arm of Josh Allen. Allen threw for over 3,000 yards with 28 touchdowns and 15 interceptions in 2016. In 2017, he only threw for 1,800 yards and 16 touchdowns with six interceptions as a junior.

Strengths

For Allen, his greatest strengths are the unteachable- NFL size and arm strength. If a quarterback doesn’t have the ability to make professional throws by their junior year they probably will never be able to make them. NFL scouts want to see a fifteen yard out and comeback that has the zip and can hit the window where the most athletic defensive backs in the world can’t get to the football. When you watch Allen throw you can see solid footwork.

Allen also has mobility and the ability to move the pocket and scramble for first downs. The NFL is requiring their quarterbacks to have much more of a Steve Young vibe than a Dan Marino skill set. Sure, the NFL scouts will love his Marino-like arm strength but they’ll also love that he can run the football when needed.

Weaknesses

Josh Allen looks the part, but he does have weaknesses. His largest area for concern is his lack of accuracy. In 2016, Allen’s yards per attempt was 8.59 which is a really high average for a college quarterback. By 2017, his yards per attempt plummeted to 6.71. Yards per attempt is a sign of both accuracy and the type of throws the quarterback is making. Allen completed fifty-six percent of his throws over his two year starting career.

Allen’s other major weakness is that he struggled against their bigger competition such as Iowa, Oregon and Boise State. He came back after injuring his thumb to have a nice bowl game against Central Michigan throwing three touchdowns and no interceptions.

Next: Latest pre-Combine first round NFL Mock Draft

Draft Expectations

Many NFL franchises need a starting quarterback and the back-up quarterback pool has become rather shallow as well. He’s a little like Joe Flacco when Flacco was at Delaware. Flacco had a higher completion percentage and less interceptions but it’s a similar type of story with NFL size and ability but without the film against the bigger competition due to Flacco playing in the FCS and Allen playing in the Mountain West.

I expect Allen to be drafted in the first round to a franchise that isn’t in immediate need of a quarterback. Allen could sit behind Ryan Tannehill, Tom Brady, or someone like Kirk Cousins or Alex Smith. Baker Mayfield, Lamar Jackson, Sam Darnold and Josh Rosen will also get the attention of NFL teams. Walter Football sees Allen at No. 6 overall to the Jets, however, I see him slipping down past Darnold to Miami, Washington, Arizona, or Green Bay in the middle of the first.

Projection: Middle of the first round

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