The Drew Allar hype is about to go completely off the rails at the NFL combine

I refuse to fall for it again. The Drew Allar hype train got rolling before he ever got to Happy Valley, and though he never lived up to the lofty expectations he arrived with, it’s picking up steam again in the lead-up to the 2026 NFL Draft. 

At 6-foot-5, 235 pounds and with a big arm, Allar is the type of quarterback that NFL draftniks gush over, with every tool to be successful at the next level. He’s also the type of quarterback who thrives at the NFL Scouting Combine, throwing on air and in shorts. So, he’s taking the opportunity, after recovering from his season-ending ankle injury, to throw in Indianapolis this week. 

Adam Schefter reported on Tuesday that Allar will be taking part in the throwing session, along with presumptive QB2 in the class, Ty Simpson from Alabama. QB1 Fernando Mendoza will wait until his Indiana Pro Day to throw. If Allar does impress the scouts, decision-makers, and, maybe most importantly, the media in Indianapolis, his hype train will go completely off the rails. 

Drew Allar set to throw at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis on Saturday

Drew Allar’s tape is littered with NFL throws. There’s no denying that he can make just about everything you need to succeed at the next level, and over his 2.5 years as the starting quarterback at Penn State, he made a lot of them. However, there’s a difference between being able to make those throws and making them consistently. 

Allar routinely came up small in the biggest games for the Nittany Lions across his career, most notably with his game-clinching interceptions against Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Orange Bowl and against Oregon in Week 5 of the 2025 season. 

Penn State, even after overhauling the group before the 2025 season, never gave Allar the type of wide receiver room he needed to win a national championship, and even without it, he got quite close. Yet, there are just too many blunders in big moments and too much inconsistency throughout his career to spend a high pick on him in the draft. 

One of the reasons for Allar’s inconsistency is his frame. With long limbs, his mechanics have proven difficult to replicate, especially when he’s sped up in the pocket. He was a streaky passer in college because when his footwork got out of sync, which could be caused by a muddy pocket, which is tough when you’re 6-foot-5, and occasionally was due to general sloppiness. 

Without bodies around his feet at the combine to throw off his rhythm, Allar’s accuracy should be there, but football isn’t played on air, and it isn’t played in shorts. The former five-star is still worth a mid-round flyer because of his potential to finally translate his gaudy tools into consistent play, but the hype train may need to pump the brakes before he threatens to reach Round 2.