An ankle injury and struggles against top competition cast doubt on Penn State quarterback Drew Allar's projected draft stock. Will he bounce back?
Penn State quarterback Drew Allar entered the 2025 campaign with the anticipation of fighting to become a first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Months earlier, Allar led PSU to the College Football Playoff semifinal, but his interception late in the fourth quarter allowed Notre Dame to score a game-winning field goal to send the Nittany Lions packing.
Allar started the 2025 season hot, throwing four touchdowns to one interception in wins over Nevada, FIU, and Villanova.
However, he struggled against Oregon, throwing for 137 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception in the 30-24 loss in overtime. He also went just 13-of-20 for 137 yards and one interception in a 22-21 loss to Northwestern on Oct. 11.
Allar suffered a season-ending broken left ankle in the loss to the Wildcats.
The quarterback is prepping for Penn State's pro day after competing in the NFL combine, but it's unknown where he'll land in the draft.
ESPN's Jordan Reid quoted an AFC scout who thinks Allar proved that he's on the road to recovery with a strong performance at the combine.
"I absolutely love that he came out and competed at the combine," the scout said. "He's been a bit of a mystery since the ankle injury, but I'm glad that he came out and proved that he was on the road to being back healthy."
An AFC assistant general manager had a harsh message for Allar, telling Reid that the Penn State signal-caller didn't show enough against elite teams during his college career to convince teams to bid high on the quarterback.
"The biggest issue is that he looks good against the low- and middle-tier teams, but he just hasn't had that signature performance any time that he plays against the elite ones," the assistant general manager said.
Reid ranked Allar as the No. 5 quarterback in the draft. While in some years, that might be good enough to be taken in the first or second round, Reid projects Allar to be a late Day 2 or Day 3 pick this rather mediocre draft.
Allar will enter the league with expectations of being a backup that could eventually compete for a starting job.
After dealing with a serious injury last season, Allar needs to work on mastering the ins and outs of an NFL system before worrying about starting in Week 1. Frankly, that could be for his benefit in the long run.