By Alex Kurtz, Sports editor
The NFL draft is coming up in a few short weeks and the Cleveland Browns are once again sitting with the first overall pick in the draft.
Currently, all signs point to Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen going first overall but so far I’m not sold on the prospective pick.
Allen has wowed scouts throughout the past two years with the combination of his incredible arm strength, athleticism and prototypical size for a quarterback.
Any quarterback can look great on paper and make throws without pads on at the combine, but if you watch Allen’s tape, you will the biggest case of Jeckel and Hyde.
The former Wyoming quarterback has plays where he casually toss a ball 65 yards off of his back foot, which is the stuff that scouts love.
What I noticed though is inconsistency and bad tendencies. Allen’s footwork is awful and he tends to throw off of his back foot all the time.
The main reason is that he played mostly against midmajor schools while at Wyoming. He could get away with it though because he was almost always the best player on the field while playing in conference games, and would simply be able to outperform the talent he faced.
When you move up to the NFL though, players are much faster and the loss of accuracy you have when throwing off balance can lead to turnovers. A lot of turnovers.
When the prospect played against Iowa last season, the B1G defense smothered Allen and limited him to 174 yards and intercepted him twice. One of which was from NFL first round prospect Josh Jackson.
Then look at the Oregon game. Going 9-24 for 92 yards and an interception is not the stats you want to see from a potential number one overall pick.
The only thing Allen has going for him is that he does not have to start right away since Cleveland traded for former Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor.
Taylor is simply a stepping stone however, and the Browns cannot rely on him as a long-term starter for the team. While he is a veteran, he is not the ideal player to learn behind.
Now if Allen can sit back, learn for a few years and develop his footwork, he can be an incredible quarterback. Cleveland is just not the best place for Allen to do so.
