Josh Allen might be the most interesting prospect in the 2018 NFL Draft. A junior college transfer, Allen rose up draft boards when Matt Miller of Bleacher Report projected him to the Chicago Bears in a mock for the 2017 NFL Draft.
Allen had an up-and-down season this year, but finished strong. He showed off his talent in the Idaho Potato Bowl, throwing three touchdowns in the first quarter. One touchdown was a 40-yard strike to the end zone that displayed Allen’s high ceiling as a quarterback.
Allen is a big quarterback with a bigger arm. He threw a 62 mile per hour ball at the NFL Scouting Combine, breaking previous records. He also showed an elite deep ball on an 80-plus-yard strike at his Pro Day.
As an NFL prospect, Allen is very raw. He struggles with touch passes on short and intermediate throws and sometimes overthrew balls on easy routes. His field vision could use some work, as well.
He often has to see the break on a route before he’s comfortable whizzing it in there. The upside is that his arm is so strong it may not matter.
Allen will have to run through progressions better at the next level. Many times his slow progression caused him to run out of the pocket to gain more time. At the NFL level, he will put his health in danger if that’s the case.
All in all, Allen makes a lot of sense for teams to take in the first round, but they will need to be patient if they want to maximize his raw ability.