Josh Allen gets another shot to shine in Idaho Potato Bowl

The larger body of work has already spoken louder than words, but Josh Allen will get a shot to shine at the Idaho Potato Bowl…

The Idaho Potato Bowl is not often a game NFL scouts and general managers flock to, but Josh Allen is a player that has franchise quarterback potential.

And we all know the league is starved for those…

With Allen on display in his final collegiate game, scouts and front office personnel from around the league will likely come watch him play one more time and see if he can show some of the traits we saw in 2016, when Allen looked like a potential number one pick.

We’ve been documenting much of his redshirt junior season here at NFL Mocks, and to say that 2017 has been tough on Allen would be the understatement of the year.

A picture says a thousand words…

It’s been a long year for Josh Allen. July, and today. pic.twitter.com/fJMGr0yv9y
— Ron Counts (@Ron_BroncoBeat) December 20, 2017

Allen has clearly been wearing the weight of the world on his shoulders, and it’s affecting him.

This is a player that, a season ago, threw for just over 3,200 yards with 28 touchdowns and 15 interceptions.

This season? He’s completed just over 56 percent of his passes with 1,658 yards and 13 touchdowns, compared to six interceptions.

For two seasons in a row, Allen has hovered around a 56 percent completion rate. Most quarterbacks with that figure would not even be considered in the first two days by NFL teams, but Allen has the physical tools and ‘potential’ that has teams intrigued.

Some view him as a day one prospect still. Others — like me — believe that Allen is best served being drafted on day two or three and developing in some team’s offense for a couple of years, honing his skills, and staying out of the spotlight for a bit.

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This kid has had so much pressure on him the past season, that being a first round pick might cause him to crumble completely. He is not going to back down, and you have to admire his courage for playing in this meaningless bowl game, but Allen is also expected to be the eighth and final quarterback to accept an invitation to the 2018 Senior Bowl.

Allen will have opportunities to impress NFL executives, but in no way, shape, or form should any team take him with their first round pick. There’s almost no basis for it.

Picking Allen in the first round would be purely based on his potential growth, and we’ve seen how that goes historically.

I still believe Allen can reach that potential, but it will take time. Getting picked in the first round would be unfair on the part of whatever NFL team was picking him.

Hopefully, he plays really well in this bowl game and gains some momentum and confidence going into the offseason.

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