There are a ton of questions about Drew Allar and his future in the NFL. On paper, he looks like the perfect quarterback for any team to draft in the first few rounds. Even if we go based on his first few seasons at Penn State, there was a lot to like.
However, there were also times when Allar simply wasn't able to do enough on the offensive side of the football for his Nittany Lions offense, and as a result, it's possible that he doesn't have the draft day he was hoping for just a year ago.
Remember, Allar was once viewed as the top quarterback in this class. He was injured last season, which played a factor, and he also struggled a bit before going down.
Strictly based on his tools, though, there's reason to believe that not only can he be an NFL starter one day, but that he can be a legitimate star.
According to Rich Cimini, a lot of executives and scouts around the league like Allar, including one who believes that, outside of Fernando Mendoza, he's the best quarterback in this class.
“He’s my favorite quarterback in the draft outside of Mendoza,” the coordinator said. “In the right system, he can be great. He’s got everything as far as tools. His footwork is an absolute mess. But improve his footwork and he can take off. He deserved better than what he got at Penn State.”
The physical tools continue to be the things that stand out for Allar. If we're going based on arm strength, he has it. Size? He's got it, and much more.
However, with some of his struggles in James Franklin’s offense before he went down with an injury, it's believed that he needs a better offensive system to succeed at the highest level. That might not be the wrong take, but it's something that NFL teams will have to be mindful of.
“This draft does not feature a star-studded quarterback class like the one we saw in 2024, when six passers went in the top 12. Indiana's Fernando Mendoza is at the top, and then teams will pick their flavor. Where Allar sits in that equation is tough to project due to a tough 2025. Allar struggled with accuracy and played only six games because of a fractured left ankle. But some NFL evaluators still see major upside in Allar, who once garnered first-round buzz thanks to his 6-5 frame and big arm…
“The coordinator stressed that Allar needs to be in a Kubiak-style system -- which essentially half the NFL uses right now -- to learn proper footwork,” Cimini added.