Everything Jets fans need to know about Penn State QB Drew Allar

It's that time of year again. The NFL Draft, otherwise known as the New York Jets' annual Super Bowl, returns in just a handful of weeks. Every year, this is an adventure (an important one) within the walls of the $75 million Florham Park headquarters.

But this season is more important than most years. This season, the Jets might need their future franchise quarterback. This is a position the Jets have found themselves in every three to five years since Joe Namath left Broadway for Hollywood in 1977.

It's unclear if the Jets are sure to take a quarterback. What is clear is that they'll need one soon. And it appears likely they'll opt for one in this draft. So I'll be releasing a series of pieces evaluating the Jets' best options at that position.

In this piece, we're going to look at a Penn State quarterback. Now, I know Jets fans are permanently scarred from the Christian Hackenberg experience. But I can assure you that former Nittany Lion Drew Allar is not Christian Hackenberg. He has more potential than Hackenberg ever did, and plenty of analysts are overlooking him already.

On this page:

1. Drew Allar's Background
2. Drew Allar's Pros
3. Drew Allar's Cons
4. QB Value Score
5. Drew Allar Final Evaluation & Grade

Drew Allar's Background

When Drew Allar arrived at Penn State as an early enrollee in 2022, fresh out of Medina, Ohio, he was set to back up senior Sean Clifford. And while he wasn't going to take Clifford's spot right away, the whispers about his potential permeated State College. He was as talented a quarterback prospect as Penn State ever had.

By 2023, the job was his. He performed well, tossing 25 touchdowns to just two interceptions in 13 games. His completion percentage of 59.9% could have been improved, though. And in 2024, he met the mark. He raised it to 66.5% his junior season. But his TD/interception ratio went in the wrong direction at 24/8. And Penn State loyalists grew frustrated with a decided lack of big plays downfield.

This was chalked up to the mismanagement of head coach James Franklin. 2025 saw much of the same, as Franklin would ultimately be relieved of his duties following a brutally disappointing 3-3 start to the year.

While Allar's numbers remained at the same respectable level they were in 2024, his performance was clouded by an offense that failed to live up to expectations. And eventually, Allar would sustain a broken left ankle in the same week six loss to Northwestern that did Franklin in, ending his season.

Now, as he's coming off a serious injury, there are more questions than answers surrounding the 22-year-old prospect. It takes a little more digging to interpret what Allar might be at the next level. So let's do just that.

Drew Allar's Pros

1. Arm talent

Drew Allar can make every throw in the book, not limited to any physical restrictions. He can put touch on a pass, he can gun a line drive in a tight space, and he can toss the ball deep through the sky into opposing territory.

When he has the opportunity to fire the football comfortably, there's not a pass that he can't make. While he has a lot to develop in terms of consistency, his arm is limited only by his own confidence and imagination.

If not for head coach James Franklin and the rest of the Penn State offensive coaching staff locking him in vertical zip-ties, there would be plenty more footage of some awe-inspiring passes. He only attempted 13 passes over 20 yards before getting hurt this season, representing 8.2% of his passes. In every season he played, the highest he ever got for attempt rate on 20+ yard passes was last year at 11.4%.

It's hard to show off elite skill when you aren't allowed to use it.

2. Pocket passing

Squint your eyes when you watch some of his film, and you'll see an NFL quarterback. What level NFL quarterback that ends up being is totally up in the air. But when it comes to dropping back in the pocket, setting your feet, briefly reading your options, and throwing a pass in-tempo, Allar has long since mastered that art.

He's what you would call an anticipatory thrower. He seems to feel when a receiver is about to pop open out of their break. He gets his eyes downfield in rhythm and on time, never falling behind his receivers or moving too quickly. While you can refine it, it's very hard to teach this skill. It requires comfort, instinct, and a lifetime of reps.

While some young quarterbacks lean on their athletic ability or physical tools before they become good drop-back passers, Allar will never have to revert to that.

3. Throwing on the move and from weird angles

If you're noticing a trend here, it's not your imagination. A vast portion of Allar's appeal lies in his right arm. And in this case, both his feet as well.

What Allar can do throwing could make or break his ultimate value and production as a pro. Luckily, throwing is rarely an issue for him. I talked about his skill as a pocket passer, but he can also throw on the run with elite precision. He doesn't have to stop to get his best pass off, and he doesn't sail throws because he mistimed his momentum.

This will benefit the young QB, as he doesn't quite have the legs to produce yardage that way. When he's on the move because the play broke down or the pocket collapsed, unless he has tens of yards of open space, he'll have to get passes off while moving outside of structure.

He's a big body, so even when he gets knocked off his spot a bit, he can deliver good, strong passes. This will allow him to keep plays alive that otherwise seemed hopeless.

4. Great Size

Speaking of his size, this is one of the biggest data points that suggest he has a real future in the NFL. He stands at 6-foot-5, weighing 228 pounds, with a 9⅞ inch hand size, a 32¾ inch arm length, and 79⅝ inch wingspan. He's built similarly to presumed No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza, and like many other prototypical NFL quarterbacks.

This goes back to his ability to throw the ball despite contact. He's not quite Big Ben in terms of sheer girth, but he's not easy to toss around. He has all the tangibles of a decades-long pro.

Drew Allar's Cons

1. Decision making

This is where Allar gets himself into self-inflicted trouble. He makes extremely questionable decisions at times, leaving you to wonder what exactly his thought process was. It's important to note that his turnover-worthy play percentage is not uncomfortably high at 2.6% this past season and 2.1% the previous season. But it's the content of his turnovers that's concerning.

His interception against Oregon on the final drive last year, in a game that largely derailed their season, never had a chance. When his team needed him most, down six in double overtime, he forced a pass to his tight end outside the hashmarks eight yards downfield, which the safety read like a book. He never took his eyes off his target from the jump, and even if the safety did not float underneath to steal the ball, a safety over the top was sure to break up the pass at the point of contest.

Even in the best-case scenario, it had very little chance of being completed. To take that risk in that moment is terrible. And the execution, telegraphing where the ball was going, was even worse.

Another crucial interception of his came on his final drive of the fourth quarter in the 2025 semi-final against Notre Dame. A delayed blitz got to him up the middle, and he made a horrid decision, forcing a blind pass over the middle for an interception. The decision was bad, but what led to it points to his next area of concern.

2. Ability to throw under pressure

This past season, when Allar was kept clean in the pocket, he completed 68.9% of his passes with a 68.5 passing grade. On plays where he wasn't blitzed, he again completed 68.9% of passes with a 70.5 passing grade.

Contrast that with his 44.4% completion percentage under pressure and 56 passing grade, as well as his 57.1% rate on passes when blitzed with a 57.1 passing grade. Sure, your numbers will always drop a bit when you're being attacked. But there's a stark drop off for Allar when things around him collapse.

When pressure bursts up the middle, he's primed to rush his decision-making. I wouldn't say he does so at a staggering rate, but it's something he'll absolutely have to clean up if he wants any success at the next level.

3. Inconsistent on deep passes

I've spoken at length already about the kind of arm Drew Allar possesses. I've made it clear that he can make every pass in the book. He has all the physical tools to become a good downfield passer. He has the arm strength to get the ball down there, and he can do it with precision.

But the keyword in that last sentence is "can." He absolutely can get the ball downfield accurately, but he doesn't always. He misses guys deep too often for a quarterback you're expecting to be a gun slinger.

His 38.5% completion percentage on deep passes, with a 46.2% adjusted completion percentage and 63.6 passing grade, does not cut it. He thrives in the 10-19 yard range. And that's ok. But it certainly limits a QB's ceiling if he can't generate yards deep. And the arm strength is also a big selling point for Allar. If he can't use it because he can't drop the ball in the bucket often enough, that selling point is largely removed from the equation.

4. Limited ability with his legs

He's not a bad runner. He's not slow. And he's not so land-locked that there's no chance of his eating up yards scrambling on occasion. He's actually a very talented passer on the move, too

His legs aren't useless. But they are limited. He has the size to bounce off tacklers, but he won't always be able to run away from them. It may not be a massive weakness, but like his concerns with accurate deep passing, it limits his ultimate upside. The ability to run as a weapon is just not a part of his package, limiting his overall value.

QB Value Score

I've developed a statistic to score young quarterbacks. I took the statistics and Pro Football Focus (PFF) grades I value most and consolidated them into a single number. There are 13 metrics. From most crucial to least, they are as follows (I'll also include Allar's numbers for each metric/grade).

All you have to do is multiply each metric by its corresponding number. Then add them and carry your decimal two places to the left. That provides you with your Quarterback Value (QBV). You can typically expect this number to be between 40 and 70.

• QBV: 56.95

What holds Allar back from pushing into the 60s is his inability to handle pressure. His passing grades when blitzed and pressured are extremely low, dragging down his overall passing grade as a result. And his lack of big-time throws and low average depth of target, likely the fault of his coaching staff, doesn't help either.

His rushing grade, 75.7, is surprisingly higher than most would imagine. He'll never deliver a ton of yards with his legs alone, but they may get him out of trouble more than scouts have given him credit for.

Drew Allar Final Evaluation & Grade

I rely on a combination of metric-driven analysis, results-based statistics, and the old-fashioned eye test to evaluate quarterbacks. After considering all factors, below is my final prospect grade, along with some pro comparisons ranging from the most realistic scenario to the absolute ceiling.

• FINAL GRADE: C+

• NFL Comparisons: Jameis Winston, Nick Foles, Joe Flacco, Sam Darnold, Jay Cutler

He reminds me a lot of Jameis Winston. He has the passing ability to make elite plays and direct potent offenses. Similar to Winston, it's his decision-making and inconsistency that largely hold him back. But he has the same big arm as Jameis, and just enough size and running ability to extend plays like Jameis.

I think the most likely scenario for Allar is that he sticks around for a while as a backup, maybe getting one or two chances to prove he can be a starter. His tantalizing arm talent will provide opportunities on its own. It'll be a matter of how he can capitalize on those opportunities.

If he doesn't develop the required consistency, he can mirror Winston and Nick Foles' careers as extremely high-level backups with cannon arms who can lead good offenses for pockets of time. If he really develops toward his upside, I think his arm and size can make him a mid to top-tier QB for a winning team.

If the Jets took a swing at him in the fourth round, or maybe late in the third round if they trade up, I wouldn't be opposed. He has the talent. Professional coaching will benefit him greatly. If he becomes a superstar, I wouldn't be shocked. But I wouldn't be confident enough to use a first or second-round pick on him, either.