2018 Senior Bowl: Josh Allen Stands Out Early Among QBs
By Erik Lambert
No man is going to garner more attention at the 2018 Senior Bowl than Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen, and that’s because he’s polarizing.
From a pure physical standpoint the young man is hard to ignore. The tape reveals a big body with athletic qualities and arguably the strongest arm to come out of college in the past five years. It is truly a rocket. These traits have teams intrigued despite considerable reservations from tape enthusiasts who warn that Allen is a project player. He’s got immense upside but much of his game is raw and he makes a number of amateur errors.
Nonetheless the pre-draft process can tend to gloss over things like that because teams so desperately want to find the next superstar quarterback. It’s early in the Senior Bowl festivities and already Allen is making an impression, both by his mere presence and his spoken words. It started with the measurement segment. Suffice to say Allen did not disappoint in that regard.
Not only is Allen ideal size for an NFL quarterback, his big hands will also calm any fears among the nitpickers who fear small-handed QBs. The reason being they can often losing the grip on balls when getting hit or throwing in cold or wet conditions. So what about the personality? Well…
Allen raises some red flags in his first impression interview
Suffice to say Allen didn’t exactly say all the right things in his first interview. Typically what people want to hear from a QB is leadership but also a willingness to accept his shortcomings. Openness and honesty are smiled upon. Instead what people got was a touch of arrogance and even a little dismissal about how average his play was this past season.
in a single interview, Josh Allen has now said:
— Jordan Zirm (@JordanZirm) January 22, 2018
-he put Wyoming on his back (they went 7-5)
-he has Aaron Rodgers qualities
-stats are for losers
Some might see it as him just believing in his own ability but it also could be seen as a maturity issue. Allen doesn’t seem to have the self-awareness good leaders tend to. Of course that’s not to say it’s permanent, but it also isn’t becoming of a player who could end up being a top 5 pick depending on how the next couple months go for him.