New York Jets fans are extremely concerned that NFL Draft insiders keep mocking Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen to their team, ESNY explores why that might be.
In case you missed it, here are NFL Draft Insider Matt Miller’s pick for the New York Jets in his latest first-round mock draft via Bleacher Report:QB Josh Allen, Wyoming
“With Rosen and Darnold off the board, the next-best quarterback is Josh Allen. You’ll hear in the next four months about how much potential he has, but the downside is that he is incredibly raw. He is a better prospect than Hackenberg was in 2016 (he’s a much better athlete and has better instincts), but fans will undoubtedly be afraid of another developmental quarterback. The upside is that if the Jets hit, Allen could be a Cam Newton– or Ben Roethlisberger-type starter.”
Yes, Mr. Wheat from one of the greatest movies of all time, Good Burger, WHY?!?!
The Jets haven’t made the playoffs since 2010. The last thing we want to hear is Josh Allen has “potential” but “the downside is he is incredibly raw.”
Also, don’t try to whisper your sweet pleasantries in my ear as you walk away “Allen could be a Cam Newton or Ben Roethlisberger-type starter.” A former league MVP and a two-time Super Bowl champion and future Pro Football Hall of Famer? I literally see what people are saying.
Josh Allen is 6-foot-5, 240 pounds with rocking physique. I won’t lie, I wish I came out of the womb that size, but sometimes it’s more than the prototypical measurables. NFL personnel guys fall into the same trap every year.
They look at guys like Josh Allen and Christian Hackenberg and say, “wow these guys look the part, they must be the part.” If they flop, they just say whoops must’ve been a bad apple and move on to the same kind of prospect the following year.
It’s time for the Jets to try something new. While my flavor of choice is Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield, I understand everyone is entitled to their own opinion.
I compare this offseason to my musical tastes. I love everything but country music. In this draft, I love everybody but Josh Allen.
Country music is the same thing over and over again. Insert banjos, tractors, sad mopey crap, it’s just terrible. Allen reminds me of all the other quarterbacks who end up being busts at the next level.
So beyond the lazy analysis that Allen “can make all the throws, has the prototypical size for the position, and is surrounded by the bad talent around him that’s why he sucks,” I have a real concern: accuracy.
In my humble opinion, you either have it or you don’t. You can’t teach accuracy, much like you can’t teach size. Accuracy is arguably the most important trait you desire when evaluating quarterback prospects. If they can’t get the ball to the designated area, I don’t think much else matters beyond that point.
In Allen’s two years of significant playing time at Wyoming, he posted completion percentages of 56 percent (2016) and 56.3 percent (2017). That’s abysmal at any level, let alone the Mountain West Conference.
Since we’re looking at the stats, let’s look at the rest of the page. In 2016, Allen posted his ‘best’ year with a near two-to-one touchdown to interception ratio (28-15), 3,203 passing yards, and averaged over eight yards per pass.
While this past season, Allen posted 16 touchdown strikes to just 6 interceptions. Although he did it with basically the same completion percentage and in three fewer games posted 1,400 yards less than he did the year prior. While his yards per attempt fell down to a lowly 6.7.
There are other quarterbacks I wouldn’t mind seeing the Jets kick the tires on including:
- Lamar Jackson, QB, Louisville
- Josh Rosen, QB, UCLA
- Sam Darnold, QB, USC
- Mason Rudolph, QB, Oklahoma State
Just please Jets, in closing, anybody but Allen. Seriously… anyone.
