Josh Allen is a bit of a polarizing prospect. If you asked the average fan about him at the end of last year, they likely would not have known who he is, but he was seen by scouts as the best quarterback in the 2018 draft class heading into the past season. He has a cannon arm and was coming off of a season where he threw for 3000 yards and 28 touchdowns at Wyoming (who had previously been seen as little more than a joke in college football). However, in the past season, Allen only managed to throw for 1800 yards and his completion percentage stayed at an ugly 56 percent.
After a disappointing season, people would typically expect a prospect to fall down draft boards -- this did not happen with Allen.
All the measurables
When teams that like him look at his prototypical size (6'5" 233 lbs.) and cannon arm they start salivating. They look at less than stellar tape and say that he had a weak supporting cast or that they can coach him out of the mistakes that he made. His doubters, however, look at a big, cannon-armed QB who has been a less than stellar college football player and have flashbacks to JaMarcus Russel. This has led to Allen being a rather controversial topic among fans. His doubters say he's just another QB along the lines of DeShone Kiser or Christian Hackenberg who is overrated based off of his physical tools rather than production on the field.
His supporters say his doubters are being lazy in their comparisons and that just because Allen has a cannon arm, it doesn't mean he has anything in common with those guys. It appears that Browns GM John Dorsey is on the believer side of the fence.
Number one pick?
MMQB has reported that when they talked to a close friend of Dorsey's they said that Dorsey's plan was to take Josh Allen with the number one pick and Saquon Barkley with the number 4 pick.
If this holds true, this could have big implications for the rest of the draft. Sam Darnold was considered the favorite to go at the top spot and if he's still available when the Giants are on the board, it could drive the trade value of their pick through the roof.
This would also put a lot of pressure on Browns head coach Hue Jackson because, although Allen has the highest ceiling he is also seen as the least NFL ready out of the QB's in this draft class.
In spite of this, it is not likely that Browns fans will be willing to simply wait for Allen to develop. Losing teams typically put young QB's in to give the fanbase some sort of hope and that means that Jackson and the Browns' coaching staff will have to get Allen up to speed faster than they would like. If the Browns do go through with this they will likely be throwing Allen into the deep end early, and that is never a good thing for a young, raw quarterback.
