Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Drew Allar has been hit with a rough NFL outlook.
Things certainly did not go according to plan for Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Drew Allar this past season.
Allar could have entered the NFL Draft following the 2024 campaign and probably would have been a top-five pick, but he instead elected to return to Penn State for another year for more seasoning.
That proved to be a major mistake, as Allar played six lackluster games before suffering a season-ending ankle injury, watching his draft stock plunge as a result.
The 21-year-old threw for 1,100 yards, eight touchdowns and three interceptions while completing 64.8 percent of his passes in 2025, also rushing for 172 yards and a score.
Formerly viewed as a top-tier talent, Allar is now falling all the way to Day 3 in many mock drafts, and Lance Zierlein of NFL.com clearly does not envision a very positive future for Allar given his assessment of the young signal-caller.
In his scouting report for Allar, Zierlein handed the Medina, Oh. native a 5.98 prospect grade, which translates to an "average backup" in Zierlein's grading system.
Drew Allar. Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images.So not only does Zierlein seem to believe that Allar will be nothing more than a reserve on the professional level, but he doesn't even think he'll be a very good one.
Allar definitely has all of the physical tools you would want from a quarterback.
He stands 6-foot-5, weighs 235 pounds and possesses tremendous arm strength. He is also very athletic and has drawn comparisons to Buffalo Bills star Josh Allen.
It's not like Allar doesn't have any sort of track record at Penn State, either. Back in 2023, he finished with 2,631 yards, 25 touchdowns and just a couple of interceptions, and the following year, he threw for 3,227 yards, 24 touchdowns and eight picks.
Yes, Allar did tend to struggle against elite competition throughout his collegiate tenure, which is definitely a red flag. He also doesn't have the best processing speed.
But Allar's raw tools make him one of the most intriguing prospects in this draft class, and it's entirely possible that he could ultimately be the biggest steal of the draft.
We'll see what team decides to take a chance on Allar this April.
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