Surprising QB puts the NFL on notice with huge bombs at combine

By Ross Kelly March 4, 2018 at 7:19am

When it comes to the quarterbacks being considered as potential first-round draft picks, you can pretty much group the players into three categories.

There are the prototypical QBs who have “the look” of a franchise player — Sam Darnold of USC and Josh Rosen of UCLA.

Then you have the Heisman-winning quarterbacks who have red flags either due to their size (Lamar Jackson, Louisville) or their character (Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma).

The last group contains just one player, but it is someone who some people see as a possible number one pick, while others don’t even consider him to be a first rounder. Wyoming’s Josh Allen is in a class all by himself, as he has all of the physical tools necessary to succeed in the pros, but lacks one important skill: accuracy.

At the NFL combine on Saturday, Allen showed off his arm in nearly every throwing drill. But one drill really stood out, and that was when Allen could show off his deep ball with passes that nearly traveled the length of the field.

“He’s showing off a little bit.”

From the 10 to THE OTHER 20 😳

We see ya, @JoshAllenQB.

📺: #NFLCombine LIVE now on NFL Network! https://t.co/CDQDu0jckJ

— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) March 3, 2018

Allen effortlessly threw a 60-yard pass, followed by one that traveled nearly 70 yards before hitting a receiver in stride.

“He’s showing off a little bit … and I don’t blame him!” NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock proclaimed.

Gil Brandt, who is considered the godfather of scouting and who helped create the combine, has seen just about every top NFL prospect over the last 60 years. But even he was in awe with Allen’s nearly 70-yard pass, which drew an audible reaction from those in attendance.

A 70-yard teardrop by Josh Allen. First crowd eruption of #NFLCombine2018. Wow. 👀

— Gil Brandt (@Gil_Brandt) March 3, 2018

Ryan Flaherty, a sports performance coach who trains Allen and has trained Russell Wilson, Jameis Winston and others, speculated that Allen has perhaps the best throwing arm that he’s ever seen.

Do you think Josh Allen will be picked in the first round?

Flaherty also claimed that a 70-yard pass is nothing for Allen, and that the prospect will make jaws drop at Wyoming’s Pro Day.

“Josh Allen has one of the most incredibly gifted arms I’ve seen in my life and I’ve been around a lot of quarterbacks,” Flaherty told ProFootballTalk. “He’ll break the record miles per hour here at the combine. He’ll go high 60s. I think the record’s 66 or something. I think he’ll go 69, 70 miles an hour. And just wait until his Pro Day. He’ll throw the ball 89 or 90 yards.”

The superlatives and impressive throwing against air are reminiscent of another big-arm quarterback who went first in his draft class — JaMarcus Russell. The former LSU Tiger blew away scouts with his arm, but there is a reason why he was a bust in the NFL, and there is also a reason why Allen isn’t everyone’s cup of tea.

While Russell struggled with maturity and had a poor work ethic, Allen’s biggest flaw is his lack of accuracy. He completed just over 56 percent of his passes in his two years as a starter, and that was against Mountain West defenses, which typically aren’t loaded with future NFL pros.

Allen’s struggles with accuracy are best exemplified in a drill he did during the Senior Bowl. He followed Baker Mayfield, who completed 70.5 percent of his throws last year, in a drill where the quarterbacks had to hit a target 10 yards away.

The results could not have been more different.

Baker Mayfield and Josh Allen … I mean, maybe it’s a small target 🤷🏻‍♀️ pic.twitter.com/pbVldFeDkh

— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) January 24, 2018

Once again … 10 yards away!!

Come draft day, teams will have to weigh whether it’s worth using a high pick to take Allen. Even draft experts are split as to where he will be selected. ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. has him going first overall to the Cleveland Browns, while Charlie Casserly of NFL.com has Allen slipping to number 15.

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