The Detroit Lions have no apparent plans to move off quarterback Jared Goff any time soon, but the future under center could come sooner than some think if he can’t carry the team over the Super Bowl hump.
Chad Reuter of NFL.com on Friday, April 17 predicted that Detroit will select Penn State signal-caller Drew Allar with the No. 128 pick in Round 4 of next week’s NFL draft. Allar is the fifth QB off the board in Reuter’s estimation.
Allar has 45 games of experience at the collegiate level, where he has thrown for 7,402 yards, 61 TDs and 13 INTs.
Drew Allar Doesn’t Project as NFL Starter — Yet
GettyPenn State quarterback Drew Allar.
Lance Zierlein of NFL Network doesn’t project Allar as a starting quarterback at the professional level for multiple reasons.
Allar looks the part with prototypical size and an effortless arm that can make any NFL throw. However, inconsistent touch and ball placement are a major hindrance.
In big moments and big games, he hasn’t proven he can rise to the occasion or sustain efficiency. The stats looked good in a conservative offense as a sophomore, but his play became more erratic once the playbook was opened up and more responsibility was put on his plate. He can be slow to process and get to his best option. He also struggles to adjust his pre-snap plan to fit the coverage.
Goff was a much higher-end prospect coming out of college 10 years ago, when the Los Angeles Rams selected him No. 1 overall. However, many in the league wrote him off after Sean McVay traded him to the Lions for Matthew Stafford.
Since joining Dan Campbell in Detroit in 2021, Goff has made three Pro Bowls. He has thrown for nearly 21,500 yards, 149 TDs and 47 INTs on a 68 percent completion rate and earned a regular-season record of 48-33-1.
Allar and Goff are similarly sized, with Allar actually slightly taller a 6-feet, 5-inches and slightly heavier at 228 pounds. They also both share the same top trait of having a strong enough arm to make every throw in any NFL playbook.
Jared Goff Making Way Toward Hot Seat in Detroit
GettyDetroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff.
Campbell and former offensive coordinator Ben Johnson turned Goff into a fringe MVP candidate over a four-year stretch. Thus, there is no reason to believe that Campbell and his current staff can’t improve Allar enough to render him a viable starter at some point down the road.
“It’s worth noting Allar’s receivers struggled to win man-coverage matchups for him. Against zone, he makes anticipatory throws and beats coverage at an adequate clip,” Zierlein continued. “Mechanical fixes are possible, but confidence, poise and recognition must be the foundation of any rebound. Allar projects as an average backup with high-end traits.”
The Lions have elite pass-catchers in wide receivers Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams, as well as tight end Sam LaPorta and running back Jahmyr Gibbs.
And while the clock isn’t ticking on Goff yet, insiders like Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk believe the QB needs to get the Lions into a Super Bowl sooner than later, or start worrying about his longterm status as the starter.
“When you are knocking softly on the door every year, there is a fatigue that sets in,” Florio said last week. “At some point, the fanbase will say, ‘If we’re ever going to get the thing we’re trying to get, we have to upgrade — someway, somehow.’ And no quarterback is immune from that. At some point, you’ve got to deliver.”
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