Injured Penn State QB Drew Allar faces a developmental path. Will he ignite a QB battle with the Dolphins in the later rounds?
Penn State quarterback Drew Allar suffered a heartbreaking end to his college career when he suffered a season-ending injury after six games in 2025.
Allar is on the mend and has been working out for teams since he participated in the NFL scouting combine this spring.
Before the 2025 campaign, there was a possibility Allar could be taken in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft. However, he left too much on the table last season before suffering the injury.
Allar has the size and skills to be an NFL quarterback, but he needs time to develop in the league as a rookie.
ESPN's Ben Sloak projected Allar to be a Day 3 pick in the draft. He thinks the Miami Dolphins could take him in the fourth round.
"Allar is a tough nut to crack in this draft class," Sloak wrote. He has been named the toolsy developmental prospect of favor... Despite a strong arm, Allar never really pushed the ball downfield in Penn State's offense.
"In his three seasons as a starter, his most aggressive season (2024) saw an air yards per attempt of 8.2, below the nation's average of 8.4. This is particularly worrisome because Allar enjoyed a low pressure rate (21% in 2025, second to only Carson Beck) and long time to throw. Yet he still didn't find opportunities or success throwing downfield."
The Dolphins signed Malik Willis in free agency to compete with backup quarterback Quinn Ewers for the starting job under first-year head coach Jeff Hafley.
The Dolphins drafted Ewers in the seventh round of last year's draft, but the team needs to find a long-term solution at the position, and a competition between Ewers and Allar could help both players develop.
Willis should be the starter in Week 1, but it remains to be seen how he deals with being a full-time starter. Eventually, a player like Ewers or Allar could become the starter as the season progresses.
Allar would likely need more time to develop though. Based on his play in 2025, he needs to learn the speed of the NFL game before getting playing time in the regular season.