For the second straight year, a prospect named Josh Allen was selected at No. 7 overall in the NFL Draft. Unlike last year's Josh Allen, a quarterback, this year's Josh Allen will make his money taking down shot-callers in the backfield. The Jacksonville Jaguars seemingly lucked into the Kentucky pass rusher when he unexpectedly fell to them at No. 7.
5. He has an ideal blend of size and athleticism
Measuring in at 6-foot-5 and 262 pounds, Allen's size isn't in question. Neither is his athleticism. At the combine, he turned heads to the tune of a 4.63-second 40-yard-dash, 28 bench-press reps, a 118-inch broad jump, a 7.15-second 3-cone-drill, and a 4.23-second 20-yard shuttle.
Allen's blend of size and athleticism makes him a truly versatile piece. He has the speed to reel around tackle at a rapid pace, and the size and strength to be effective in bull-rushing situations. His fluidity and nimbleness also lead to effectiveness when dropping back in zone coverage.
4. Pro Football Focus thought highly of him
Pro Football Focus‘ Steve Palazzolo broke down Allen before the draft. In his article, he noted that Allen provides
one of the most versatile skill sets among defensive players in the NFL Draft, though he may not even need it depending on which team drafts his services.
The analytics support this statement well. During Allen's senior season at Kentucky, PFF gave him an excellent 94.3 pass-rush grade and a 92.2 overall grade. Both stats rank him in the elite category, shared by very few edge rushers. More important than his grade is his efficiency as a pass rusher. He also finished 2018 with a 78.2 coverage grade, a testament to his versatility.
Palazzolo noted that Allen received just 520 pass-rushing snaps during his last two years at Kentucky, but he made the most of them. During that span, he tallied 24 sacks, 24 quarterback hits, and 50 hurries. Not only is that efficient, but that's also absurd production.
3. He won SEC Defensive Player of the Year in 2018
Despite the production from Alabama's Quinnen Williams, LSU's Grant Delpit, and LSU's Devin White, Allen was the obvious choice to win the SEC's 2018 Defensive Player of the Year Award. He led college football's best conference in sacks (14), tackles for loss (18.5), and fumbles (5), winning the SEC's most prestigious defensive award.
Allen joins an elite list of recent defenders to win the award. In the past four years, the winners of the award are Roquan Smith, Jonathan Allen, Reggie Ragland, and Shane Ray. Three out of the four were first-round picks, while the other was an early second-rounder. Each is still in the league and is a starter or valuable role player; in a combined 75 total starts the four have tallied 416 total tackles and 28.5 sacks.
2. He has earned favorable NFL comparisons
Allen's athletic profile, production, and versatility have led to a few high-profile NFL comparisons from respectable draft pundits. One of his more common comparisons is Vikings outside linebacker Anthony Barr. NFL's Lance Zierlein and Touchdown Wire's Doug Farrar compared him to the Pro Bowler.
Farrar said this of Allen while comparing him to Barr and other high-level defenders:
It isn’t often you see a pass-rusher with the commensurate ability to play off-ball linebacker—Khalil Mack, Myles Jack, and Anthony Barr come to mind—and Allen is ready to join their ranks at the NFL level. Allen doesn’t have Mack’s transformational power, and he isn’t quite as athletic as Jack in coverage, but he has better awareness than Barr, and as an edge-rusher alone, he’s worth a top-10 pick.
1. His game isn't a perfect fit with the Jaguars, but his versatility will help him shine
Allen is more of an outside linebacker than a 4-3 defensive end. When playing as an outside linebacker, the Kentucky product can best utilize his explosive first step, speed, length, and developed go-to pass rush moves/counters. In this sense, he reminded many of the Bears' Khalil Mack. Yet, he can also drop back into coverage — his size, lateral quickness, and understanding of zone coverage are pluses when defending running backs or tight ends.
In an ideal world, Jaguars defensive coordinator Todd Wash will find a way to maximize Allen's skills. He should first be seen as an edge rusher. It's what he does best, and it's the second-most valuable position in the NFL. However, Wash shouldn't shy away from dropping him back in coverage from time to time, in a manner similar to how Von Miller is used as a bluff blitzer who then drops back into short coverage.
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