The NFL Scouting Combine opens this week, and this will be the first time league scouts, front office members, and coaches will be able to see almost every draft-eligible player up close.
The combine is a good way for teams to learn more about a specific player from interviews and what they do in particular drills.
During the 2017 combine, Bills quarterback Josh Allen threw a fantastic 70-yard-pass, putting him on the map as a top-10 pick.
The combine is a good place for top players to separate themselves from the pack, but it could also damage players who think they will go in the first round.
Everywhere, all draft analysts and fans are glued to see how the top quarterbacks will do in combine drills.
It’s no secret that having an elite quarterback is the easiest path to winning in the NFL, and teams with a top-5 pick want to have their eyes on one.
The only issue is this year’s quarterback class isn’t as deep as prior seasons.
Miami’s Cam Ward and Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders are the only quarterbacks worthy of being drafted in the first round this spring.
Luckily, the Bills don’t have to look for a starting quarterback this April, but what they did seven years ago might have given a team in this draft a path to selecting their new franchise signal-caller.
Josh Allen Had a Big Problem in His Game
During the 2018 NFL Draft, the word around the NFL was that Josh Allen was an elite playmaker, ran better than Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton, and had a great arm but horrible accuracy issues.
Allen also didn’t benefit from playing college football at a top program. He didn’t play in the SEC or the Big Ten and settled on playing in the Mountain West at Wyoming.
If anyone watches Mountain West football, it’s not the most significant competition, and Allen struggled in his final season.
Allen only threw for 1,182 yards, 16 touchdowns, and 56.3 completion % in 11 games.
The passing yards and touchdowns weren’t the most prominent factor, but the 56.3 completion % was alarming.
If Allen couldn’t complete 60% of his passes in a small conference like the Mountain West, how would he do it playing on Sundays?
Few quarterbacks coming out of college with accuracy issues have been fixed at the next level.
Whoever would draft Allen was taking a considerable risk.
Cleveland Browns Passed on Allen
The Cleveland Browns sat with the No. 1 pick and took quarterback Baker Mayfield, one of the most accurate passers in college football history.
Accuracy is essential to many NFL teams, and the Browns passed up on a 6-foot-5, mobile quarterback with an elite arm for a quarterback who’s approximately six feet not mobile just because of his incredible accuracy.
Many teams would find it challenging to teach a quarterback accuracy in the NFL when it’s difficult to complete a wide-open pass.
Still, Buffalo saw the upside Allen brought because of his height and athletic ability, and now he’s a league MVP
Teams always refer to the Allen comparison when drafting a quarterback who lacks big-time tools.
Allen is a once-in-a-lifetime type player, and 99% of quarterbacks can’t develop new traits at the NFL level.
Jalen Milroe Can Thank Allen
If there is one quarterback in this year’s NFL Draft, that could be the next Josh Allen, Alabama’s Jalen Milroe.
Milroe isn’t expected to be a first-round pick. But he’s the most athletic quarterback, has a fantastic arm, and has tons of upside.
The Alabama quarterback is a little smaller than Allen, standing only 6 feet 1 inch. Some even say his athletic ability is better than that of Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson.
Milroe sometimes struggles to read a defense and control the ball, but he has an incredible upside.
An NFL team will take Milroe during the draft and try to fix him as the Bills did with Allen.
Taking Milroe in the second or third round is excellent because a team doesn’t waste a first-round pick.
If Milroe works out, then whoever drafts him is getting a star at a cheap price. If the Milroe turns out to be unfixable, then the team didn’t use a major pick to select him.
Allen became one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL after many doubted his fixability. His success paved the way for other quarterbacks to succeed like him.
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