Some Penn State fans grew frustrated with Drew Allar toward the end of his time in Happy Valley, and in some ways, it was hard to argue with them. On the surface, Allar came in expected to be the top pick in this year’s draft and didn’t exactly live up to the hype.
Even in the earlier stages of his time at Penn State, there were moments when Allar wasn’t as good as many expected him to be. Unfortunately, a lot of those struggles came in big moments, especially against Ohio State and other top teams on the schedule.
If we look at what Allar did against some of the lower-tier Big Ten teams or even just non-elite opponents, he was as good as any quarterback in the country. Against better teams, however, he often looked like a completely different player, but some of that can also be attributed to the play-calling from his head coach.
Regardless, there have been plenty of questions about what Allar will look like in the NFL, and it will ultimately come down to how he develops at the next level. Teams like the Pittsburgh Steelers, who believe they can develop him, could be willing to take a chance on him.
“They do, but the NFL — and every league, really — is littered with players who had the prototypical attributes, measurables and skills but couldn’t put them all together. And the reason for that is pretty simple, actually. Coaches believe in coaching. They believe in developing prospects, making them the best versions of themselves and utilizing them in the best way possible.
“When it comes to Drew Allar, in particular, it’s probably instructive to try to decipher why he struggled in those big games and whether those shortcomings can be solved. Is it footwork, throwing mechanics or some combination of both affecting his accuracy? Or is it decision-making, pocket presence, processing? I’d say the former is more fixable than the latter,” Brian Batko of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote.
A lot of Allar’s struggles likely come down to his own play and not entirely on James Franklin. It’s hard to blame play-calling alone, considering some of the performances we saw, but it should still be factored into the evaluation, as it hasn’t been discussed enough regarding his draft outlook.