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Buffalo Bills Trade Up To Draft Josh Allen At No. 5 In NFL.com Mock Draft

By Evan Massey
Published on: 02:41 PST, Apr 25, 2018

Josh Allen is one of the top quarterbacks in the 2018 NFL Draft and there are quite a few teams that are going to be interested in drafting him. Among the teams looking to upgrade the quarterback position is the Buffalo Bills, who have been actively talked about as a team that could look to trade up in the draft.

NFL.com currently has the Bills making a big move in the first round all the way up to the No. 5 overall pick. They have the Bills acquiring the pick from the Denver Broncos and are currently projecting the Bills to take Allen with the pick.

Buffalo traded Tyrod Taylor earlier this offseason, opening up a spot for a new starting quarterback. At this point in time, the Bills have A.J. McCarron penciled in as their starting quarterback. Nathan Peterman is their backup, although there are quite a few question marks surrounding his ability to start in the NFL.

Allen has seen his stock rise and fall throughout the entire draft process. Early on in the process, he was being talked about as a candidate to be drafted by the Cleveland Browns with the No. 1 overall pick. Now, he is mentioned as the most likely quarterback to suffer a major draft day slide.

Last season at Wyoming, Allen showed off an incredibly strong arm. He completed 56.3 percent of his pass attempts for 1,812 yards, 16 touchdowns, and six interceptions. Allen was forced to miss some time due to a shoulder injury that he suffered in the middle of the season.

Standing in at 6-foot-5 and 230 pounds, Allen is exactly the kind of physical presence that the Bills are looking for. He has the physical tools to become a star at the next level, but there are concerns about his arm accuracy and decision making that could get in his way.

NFL.com also has compared Allen to former Tennessee Titans’ quarterback Jake Locker. There is no question that Locker had top-notch talent, but he never ended up developing into the star that many expected him to be.

Buffalo could use a quarterback prospect like Allen to develop and groom to be their long-term starter. Allowing McCarron to start in 2018 and letting Allen learn off the bench would be the best situation possible.

Here is the brief breakdown that NFL.com has given for Allen leading up to the NFL Draft.

“Likely be the biggest boom-or-bust quarterback prospect in the draft. Allen’s size and arm talent are prototypical for early first-round picks, but it’s rare to find a quarterback with such a low college completion rate become a successful pro. Allen’s receivers struggled to separate, but there were plenty of times where his lack of anticipation and post-snap plan did him in. Allen can make some truly special throws, but his ability to improve the mental part of his game will determine whether he’s a good NFL starter or just another big, strong-armed guy.”

Expect to see the Bills work the phones as the draft draws closer and gets underway. They may not end up making a move, but trading up for Allen might be exactly what the franchise needs to get back on track.

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