Over the past two years, Josh Allen has shown he is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. However, that wasn’t always the case or there was plenty of skepticism that he could reach this level coming out of college.
This week is the annual Senior Bowl, an all-star game that brings together the top seniors in that year’s draft class. It is a chance for teams to speak with players and see how they perform against some of the top players in the country.
Josh Allen was part of the Senior Bowl in 2018 and at the time everyone knew he had the physical attributes teams want from the position with not only an incredibly strong arm but great mobility. However, there were questions about his accuracy and whether or not everything could come together.
Now that we have seen it did come together, it is worth looking back at how the quarterback did during the Senior Bowl and what people were saying.
What they were saying about Josh Allen at the Senior Bowl
Certainly, some of the harshest criticism came from Skip Bayless who about a month after the Senior Bowl drew a comparison to former Baltimore Ravens quarterback Kyle Boller. He described Allen’s performance as “shaky” and had “inconsistent accuracy”.
I don't care about Josh Allen's arm strength. Look at what he did at Iowa/BoiseSt, vs Ore, Senior Bowl. Shaky. Inconsistent accuracy. Project. More in the mold of another QB I did not love pre-draft: Kyle "I Should've Been A" Boller, who could throw 50 yds from his knees.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) March 3, 2018
Marcus Mosher had a different perspective on Allen’s performance after the Senior Bowl and tweeted around the same time as Bayless that Josh Allen improved every day of the Senior Bowl and continued that through to the NFL Combine.
You have to give credit to Josh Allen so far throughout the draft process. Went to the Senior Bowl and improved every day. Went to the Combine and did everything. Performed well. Good for him.
— Marcus Mosher (@Marcus_Mosher) March 4, 2018
Daniel Jeremiah had similar takeaways from Mosher. He said that Allen was up and down during practice but the final practice was his best of the week. Jeremiah said he did a good job of changing velocity when he needed more touch.
Our guy draft expert (& wanna be producer) @MoveTheSticks breaking down what he’s seen from Wyoming QB Josh Allen @seniorbowl pic.twitter.com/nmoAANqxNg
— Dan Hellie (@DanHellie) January 26, 2018
Highlights of Josh Allen at the Senior Bowl
In the highlights from the actual game, Josh Allen had some great throws and runs, including touchdown throws to tight ends Tyler Conklin (drafted by the Minnesota Vikings) and Durham Smythe (drafted by the Miami Dolphins).
One thing that is probably the most notable is the throwing motion of Josh Allen. It looks pretty clear that he is throwing almost exclusively with his arm and watching these highlights compared to this past season, the footwork of the Buffalo Bills quarterback has drastically improved.