Penn State quarterback Drew Allar narrowly misses NFL draft expert's top 50 for 2025 draft
By Josh Yourish
Penn State junior quarterback Drew Allar still has plenty of time to decide whether he’ll return to Happy Valley for his final year of eligibility or if he’ll head for the NFL this offseason, but in the meantime, NFL draft analysts will try to figure out where the 6-foot-5 former five-star would belong in the 2025 class. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler left Allar off his top 50 draft board but gave him a special spot, essentially at No. 51.
On Thursday, Brugler released the 20 NFL draft prospects that he hated leaving off his top 50 draft board and the first player mentioned was Allar. Brugler wrote that he, “would love to see him return to school and get another year of experience under his belt,” adding that he hopes Penn State would spend some NIL money at wide receiver if he does.
However, Brugler speculated that if Allar did head for the league after his junior season, he would likely be drafted in the top 50, “because of his toolsy skillset.” Allar’s combination of size and arm talent made him the No. 1 high school quarterback in the 2022 class and those same traits would make him appealing to quarterback-needy teams in the NFL.
This type of evaluation could tempt Allar to head for professional football, regardless of how Penn State’s push for a national championship goes in 2024. Second-round quarterbacks have all but disappeared in the NFL draft because if a player has a Round 2 evaluation, they often get pushed up into the back of the first round so the drafting team gets the added fifth-year option. As a potential Top 50 player in draft boards, Allar could sneak into the back of the first round.
A player in a similar situation last offseason was Georgia’s Carson Beck. Beck was widely considered a Day 2 talent in the 2024 class with first-round potential when he decided to return to Athens for his final season of eligibility. The veteran passer was in consideration as the potential No. 1 overall pick heading into this year, but his draft stock has plummeted with 12 interceptions through Georgia’s first nine games.
Allar would likely continue to improve in his second season under offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki, but like Beck, he’ll be losing his No. 1 target to the NFL. Without Brock Bowers, the No. 13 overall pick in the 2024 draft, at Georgia, Beck has regressed. Allar could suffer a similar fate without Tyler Warren.
At this point, it would still appear that Allar is heading back to Happy Valley for 2025, but with three regular season games, and possibly a postseason run, ahead of him, a lot can still change.
Brugler also included Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers in his 20 prospects outside the top 50. Brugler's top quarterback for the 2025 class is Miami's Cam Ward who ranked 16th. Alabama's Jalen Milroe, Colorado's Shedeur Sanders, and LSU's Garrett Nussmeier all ranked ahead of Allar. In the 2024 draft, six quarterbacks were selected in the first round, all in the first 12 picks, but the 2025 class is not considered to be as strong.
feed
