Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Drew Allar could potentially fight for a starting job if he lands with this particular NFL contender.
Entering the 2025 college football season, Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Drew Allar was viewed as a top prospect. In fact, some felt he could go No. 1 overall in the NFL Draft.
Obviously, that did not materialize, as Allar underperformed and then suffered a season-ending ankle injury six games into the campaign.
Allar's draft stock has understandably plummeted as a result, although there are still some who feel he could be a major sleeper heading into April.
In fact, Brian Beversluis of Cat Scratch Reader has tabbed Allar as a potential fit for the Carolina Panthers, who are still kind of in limbo with Bryce Young under center.
"As much as I don’t like it having watched a bit of him living in the PSU area, QB Drew Allar would make a lot of sense," Beversluis wrote. "He has a totally different skillset from Bryce and would be suited to ride the bench and learn while the Panthers continue to figure out if Bryce is the long term answer or not."
It would be silly for Carolina to be 100 percent committed to Young at this point given that he is three years into his NFL career and has still not proven he is capable of being a franchise quarterback.
Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Drew Allar. Credit: Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images.Taking that into consideration, if the Panthers were able to draft Allar (in Beverluis' scenario, it would be on Day 2), there is no question that the Penn State product would apply some pressure to Young and potentially have a chance of stealing the starting job at some point in 2026.
Allar threw for 1,100 yards, eight touchdowns and three interceptions this past year, but he totaled 49 passing touchdowns to just 10 picks between 2023 and 2024.
Not only that, but the 6-foot-5, 235-pound Allar is a true dual threat, having totaled 732 rushing yards and 12 scores throughout his collegiate career.
Young, on the other hand, lacks athleticism and is very undersized, which could give Allar the upper hand in the future.
Considering the Panthers just won the NFC South division, it's hard to imagine a better fit for Allar in the NFL Draft this spring.
Whether or not Carolina would actually pull the trigger on Allar, however, is another story entirely.