Did Josh Allen alter the draft at his pro day? We were on hand to see

LARAMIE, Wyo. — Wyoming’s pro day, featuring Josh Allen, had a much different crowd from what we witnessed just a year ago.

With general managers, John Dorsey of the Cleveland Browns and John Schneider of the Seattle Seahawks in attendance, along with Browns head coach Hue Jackson, Giants head coach Pat Shurmur and, of course, John Elway’s right-hand man, Gary Kubiak, this wasn’t a typical ho-hum pro day.

The Denver Broncos also sent four scouts along with Kubiak.

With camera crews from ESPN and NFL Network televising the event and all 32 teams in attendance, this was no regular pro day in the Rocky-Mountain region. This was a big-time draft event, and it was all for the big-armed, big-bodied quarterback.

Allen didn’t disappoint those in attendance, completing 54 of 60 passes and flashing absurd arm strength, the type of cannon that scouts might only see once in their lifetimes.

Things started off fine, with Allen completing his first 15 passes but not leading or throwing with premier anticipation to a group of makeshift receivers. As things progressed, the anticipation got better, the ball placement became perfect, and then Allen began to flash that arm strength that’s made the entire NFL world take notice.

Before the arm strength, you could also see much-improved footwork from Allen, who was smooth and deliberate with his lower body mechanics. Quarterback coach Jordan Palmer, who’s coached an array of top prospects in his career, put the young signal-caller through the ringer, making the workout incredibly taxing. Yet, Allen didn’t seem raddled in the slightest, unleashing bombs without breaking a sweat, the definition of easy arm strength.

“I think arm talent, the way he can drive the ball better than anyone I’ve ever seen—not just in this class—I’m talking about ever,” explained Palmer about what makes Allen special and unique amongst his former and current clients. “He’s also really athletic. He’s also just a phenomenal guy. I think he’s going to be a lot of people’s favorite teammate they’ve ever had, and I don’t think he’s going to change a whole lot when success hits him.”

As the workout continued, Allen just became sharper, making a few throws on the run that drew cheers from the crowd of current Wyoming players, and family members in attendance. Gassing it to either sideline, running in either direction, Allen was amazing putting the ball on the money while also showing insane zip on skinny posts and 20-plus yard outs.

Then came the fun part, as Allen put 50-yard rainbows on display. Throws that traveled endlessly in the air and landed in his receiver’s arms catching them perfectly in stride. Special, truly special throws, with outstanding touch on perfect spirals. There where a few that he overthrew, though, in fairness, he would’ve easily completed those passes if NFL receivers had been running under them.

To finish things off, Allen was mesmerizing with some 70 to 80-yard bombs that he unleashed while throwing on the run or simulating a scramble. Ridiculous throws that even the top 10 percent of NFL QBs couldn’t make.

The big question with Allen is his accuracy, as his below-60-percent completion percentage in college has many concerned. On the day, he only had two true misses, throwing with precision, leading his receivers on passes that he didn’t hold back on.

“I think he’s getting better, the ball came out of his hand really well today, and I think the sky’s the limit for him,” explained Wyoming head coach Craig Bohl. “The things that Josh struggled with during the course of the season… he’s cleaned up his footwork, some of the throws that I thought were a bit errant during the course of the season—and we had talked about that—I think he’s really cleaned those things up, so his completion percentage will go up next year.  The thing that hasn’t changed is his ability to throw the ball a country mile, that’s always going to be important, and I think he’s continued to mature.”

Coach Bohl knows a thing or two about top NFL quarterback prospects, having recruited and coached Carson Wentz during his previous stint at North Dakota State.

“Both of them out of high school were underdeveloped guys that were fairly tall and angular, but what they did when they got to college, they put on lean muscle mass, and they grew a little bit,” explained Bohl. “So the physical stature is the same and how they handle things is the same. Some of their makeup is a little bit different; Josh is a little bit more free-flowing, Carson’s a bit more, I don’t want to say methodical. The best comparison I would say is Carson’s a bit more like Peyton Manning and Josh is a bit more like Brett Favre.”

Having seen Allen live against Oregon—where he missed even easy short passes during warmups—and during three days of his Senior Bowl practices, his accuracy looked much improved. A big endorsement to the work Palmer’s done with him and how he’s taken to the coaching.

No. 17 only had two real misses; one pass to the right sideline on a back shoulder throw that he just sailed, and a deep crosser that he led to perfection but was a bit high. The other four misses were simple overthrows on big-time deep passes that would’ve been caught by real NFL receivers—there were also a few drops we didn’t count against him since the throws were on the money.

A few of those drops were passes that his receiver didn’t get their hands on, hitting them in the chest and letting out booming thumps. You best believe those receivers will have bruises from those bombs, the type of hard throws that had the media in attendance reminiscing about “Elway crosses.”

Some of his deep bombs looked like punts, traveling so high in the sky they looked like they might’ve hit the roof of the indoor facility, only to drop in the basket perfectly 50, 60, 70, and even 80 yards later.

Those, combined with lasers of 30-plus yards on the run, all while he barely broke a sweat, made the performance truly special. The type of showing that’ll make teams like the Browns, Giants, and Broncos re-think their draft strategies—suspiciously the New York Jets, who just traded up to third overall, and the Buffalo Bills who’ve been said to be extremely interested in Allen, only sent a scout each.

On being drafted by the Broncos and having to play behind a veteran like Case Keenum, Allen himself was positive about the prospect.

“It would be an opportunity to sit and learn, go there and compete right away and learn the daily ins and outs of being an NFL quarterback, without the pressure of expecting to start right away. I think that type of situation would be wanted by most quarterbacks coming into the league. Obviously, I’m a competitive guy, and I want to play as fast as possible, but if sitting behind someone for a year and learning as much as I can about the offense, especially about what’s going on the other side of the ball in the NFL, would be a blessing.”

That sounds good and all, but after a showing like that, and constant improvements throughout the draft process, Denver might not have a shot at him at this point.

The first overall pick still seems very much in play for the Pokes star, if not the Browns, the Giants and Jets will likely take him. The raw talent is just too great to pass up.

The other notable performance of the day

Coming to Laramie, aside from Allen, there was one other prospect that was worth watching, cornerback Rico Gafford.

The 5-foot-9 corner didn’t disappoint, running a hard-to-believe 4.2 40-yard dash that some clocked in the high 4.1s—that’s Deion Sanders territory.

Gafford told BSN his draft range thus far is as an undrafted prospect, but that could change now after an impressive athletic testing that was cut short by a minor injury that held him back from doing workouts.

As a slot corner, Gafford would be a really nice pickup in the late rounds for the Orange & Blue, who have met with him a few times and scheduled him for their annual pro day on April 2nd.