2018 NFL Draft: Instant Analysis For Buffalo Bills Trading Up For Josh Allen
Josh Allen was one of the biggest stories coming into the 2018 NFL Draft after news broke that he used racial slurs back in high school. According to a report from USA Today, Allen apologized ahead of the draft for the slurs that were used. Apparently, the Buffalo Bills forgave him immediately, as they traded up to the No. 7 overall pick in the draft with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to take the quarterback.
Buffalo came into the draft looking to bring in a quarterback. A.J. McCarron was the only starting-caliber quarterback on the roster and will now be thrown into a competition with Allen.
During the 2017 college football season at Wyoming, Allen went through some tough times. He suffered a shoulder injury that forced him to miss some time, but still showed flashes of his powerful arm and potential. Allen ended up completing 56.3 percent of his passes for 1,812 yards, 16 touchdowns, and six interceptions.
Obviously, those numbers don’t scream “No. 7 overall pick” to Bills’ fans. Some may be worried that a quarterback who played at a small college and had past character issues might be a risk. That being said, there have been very few quarterbacks with the kind of arm talent that Allen possesses.
Standing in at 6-foot-5 and 233 pounds, Allen is the ideal size for an NFL quarterback. His body is built to withstand NFL hits and he is going to be difficult for pass rushers to bring down.
We’ve drafted Josh Allen with the 7th overall pick.
Welcome to Buffalo, @JoshAllenQB! pic.twitter.com/gLS319ZtTw
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) April 27, 2018
NFL.com has Allen’s best comparison as Jake Locker, who was a very talented quarterback for the Tennessee Titans. Unfortunately, Locker’s career never got going and he ended up retiring early. Allen does not seem like the type of quarterback who will see his career stall before it even begins.
It has been quite some time since the Bills had a legitimate franchise quarterback. Making this move up to No. 7 shows that they strongly believe that Allen is the future for them under center. Allen is a hard-working player with a great attitude towards the game, but he will have a lot to prove over the next few years.
Expect to see Allen come in and compete for the starting job immediately. Allen is a better talent than McCarron and the Bills made the right move. Both Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield were better quarterback prospects, but Allen was the right pick ahead of both Josh Rosen and Lamar Jackson for the Bills.
