2018 NFL Draft: Wyoming QB Josh Allen still a top 10 prospect?
Is Wyoming quarterback and 2018 NFL Draft prospect Josh Allen still a top 10 prospect? According to this report, he is…
Josh Allen has not had the greatest follow-up to his breakout season in 2016.
In fact, he’s looked downright lost at times. Dejected. Hopeless. Like a young man who just watched his dreams vanish before his very eyes.
Despite the tough start to the 2017 season, Allen may still have earned enough respect in NFL circles last year to be given the benefit of the doubt this year, considering how bad the supporting cast around him is.
We talked about that supporting cast prior to the start of the season, and some Wyoming fans were really on our backs about it. It turns out, losing a number of players to the NFL is, in fact, detrimental to your overall success as a team and for Allen, individually.
In a post on MMQB, Albert Breer’s poll of NFL scouts still had Allen as a top 10 prospect for next year’s draft –ninth out of 10 players, not just quarterbacks.
If this is more a general feeling around NFL circles, it’s both not surprising and a little confusing at the same time
It’s not surprising because the NFL is desperate for quarterbacks, and Allen showed flashes of a top draft pick last season, despite being raw in some areas.
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It’s confusing because you want to see a top prospect play extremely well, no matter the competition faced or the supporting cast around him.
There has to be some grace extended to Allen, having lost a number of his favorite targets to the NFL, but you also have to evaluate the traits you’ve seen this year compared to last year and weigh whether or not that’s going to be a big deal moving forward.
If Allen comes out of his team’s bye week and turns things around this season, the ninth overall ranking among every college player out there may yet be justified. If he continues to play poorly even with a bad supporting cast, evaluating his potential for the next level is going to be very difficult.
Next: 2018 NFL Mock Draft Update
I think no matter what, Allen is going to need a year, maybe two to adjust to the NFL. There’s no doubt he has the physical gifts, but his decision making and accuracy have to get better if he’s going to be a franchise quarterback.