Josh Allen, QB, Wyoming

[Editor’s note: BGN community member ‘TJ “Ben Simmons” Mcconnell’ made this selection for the Cardinals but was unable to turn in a write-up. Thankfully RimoDawkins, an alternate, stepped up on short notice.]

The last time the Cardinals drafted a QB in the first round was 2006 with Matt Leinart. Before that it was 1987 with Kelly Stouffer who never ended up playing for the team. 1977 before that. I could keep going but you get the point. The Cardinals have a piss poor history of drafting QB’s. That’s probably because they never actually draft QB’s. They tend to count on vets at the end of the road. Kurt Warner was great but when they signed him he was 452 years old. Never was sold on Carson Palmer who could not stay healthy and quit on his previous team. How do they replace him? By paying $40 million to a guy who may have both legs amputated by the time you finish reading this sentence (sorry Sammy B, it had to be done). Luckily fortune favored the Cards in this draft and the Bills passed on drafting a QB. We are going to change the franchise mentality of playing it safe with old vets.

Josh Allen, considered the highest risk, highest reward QB has that risk significantly lowered by picking him at 15 as opposed to the top 5. He has the size, arm strength, and athleticism that no other QB prospect in this draft has. He may not have quite the same stats as some of his peers but he is raw, his measurables are absurd and he makes plays no other QB in this draft can make. Watch this arm strength.

Here’s him showing some grit and leading a comeback win against San Diego St. Watch the throw at 0:24. 40 yards off his back foot, under pressure, right on the money.

One more. Running away from pressure toward the side line he throws a bomb over two defenders. Spectacular play.

Two of the biggest knocks I have seen on him have been his lack of accuracy and his tendency to try to play hero ball a little too much. Sound familiar? These two flaws are connected in that a lot of Allen’s incompletions are because he tries to play hero ball a little too much. He will do an excellent job of escaping a sack and rolling out to make a play (like above) but in attempting to do that he will sometimes have a mental lapse and try to force a ball where he shouldn’t making the mechanics look awkward. There were a few plays where I saw him escape a sack and have room to run for a first down but instead choose to force a pass. He tends to use his athletic gifts instead of making the proper reads at times. He can learn from this easier than he could if he was missing passes standing with no pressure from the pocket. Sometimes when you’re a young, inexperienced QB with multiple tools to use you can flinch when deciding under pressure which one works best. There are several QB’s out there who rack up excellent completion percentages by using one tool and checking down constantly (looking at you Sleeves) but that doesn’t win you games in today’s NFL. BTW, his completion percentage is only 3% lower than Matt Ryan’s was and Ryan was a much more seasoned QB. Want the top 3 college completion percentages of all time? Colt Brennan, Colt McCoy, and Kellen Moore in that order. He’s also showed a willingness to learn by improving his foot work and mechanics working with Jordan Palmer. By all accounts at the Senior Bowl/Combine it seems to be working. Check out this dime at the Senior Bowl.

Another knock is that he went to a small school like Wyoming and would bust in the NFL. Hey, that rings a bell too. Am I saying he is going to be Wentz? No. Are these legitimate concerns? Yes, definitely. But like I said at 15 I’m willing to take that risk on a QB with this much upside. Plus I like the fact that nobody offered him a division 1 scholarship and he didn’t whine about it or give up. He fought, and made it to this level which speaks to his character. If nothing else, the fact that Ryan Leaf doesn’t like Allen should help promote my case for drafting him.

The Cardinals can take a pre-Terry Bridgewater approach and have Sam start and teach. If (when) Sleeves goes down, Mike Glennon can start off the season with Allen as the backup and play a similar role. The rest of this draft and free agency period should focus on fixing the abysmal offensive line of the Cards so they can keep these men alive. OL was a consideration, but this is a re-build and that starts with a QB. Surround him with as many offensive minds as you can and when/if Allen is ready to take over, he’ll have a star RB right behind him in David Johnson to help him out in his early years. He’ll also have one of the most respected, hard working and classy players in Larry Fitz to help show him how to be a pro and establish a good WR/QB dynamic. In the end, the Cardinals are going to learn from Joe Douglas, Howie Roseman and the big brass balls brigade and go for something special. No more of this rent-a-QB business.

2018 BGN Community Mock Draft Order

1) Browns (GMinTraining): Saquon Barkley

2) Giants (ablesser88): Quenton Nelson

3) Jets (20Safety_Hazards): Sam Darnold

4) Browns (MJ1893): Josh Rosen

5) Broncos (drc242): Baker Mayfield

6) Colts (I Need a Username): Bradley Chubb

7) Buccaneers (dunc123): Minkah Fitzpatrick

8) Bears (NVEagleShark): Tremaine Edmunds

9) 49ers (Doug Pederson’s Pair of Balls): Calvin Ridley

10) Raiders (Milehighbirds): Derwin James

11) Dolphins (danishdynamite_): Roquan Smith

12) Bills (LAOJoe): Denzel Ward

13) Washington (Eagle1987): Vita Vea

14) Packers (89Tremaine): Mike Hughes

15) Cardinals (RimoDawkins): Josh Allen

16) Ravens (PhillyEagles2011):

17) Chargers (LBCeaglesFan!):

18) Seahawks (KEZHOG):

19) Cowboys (Brawnybalboa):

20) Lions (dshelton5):

21) Bengals (Palaniappan K M):

22) Bills (BeamerWentzorBentley):

23) Patriots (jy1187):

24) Panthers (dceagles):

25) Titans (ei78):

26) Falcons (SakPrescott):

27) Saints (MidMajorMatt):

28) Steelers (SummersInVA):

29) Jaguars (RecarTabmok):

30) Vikings (AnthroEagle):

31) Patriots (PhilaWolverine):

32) Eagles (JALupowitz):

---

Now it’s time for you to vote for who YOU think the Cardinals should pick in the 2018 BGN Consensus Mock Draft.

1) Browns: Saquon Barkley

2) Giants: Sam Darnold

3) Jets: Josh Rosen

4) Browns: Josh Allen

5) Broncos: Baker Mayfield

6) Colts: Bradley Chubb

7) Buccaneers: Minkah Fitzpatrick

8) Bears: Quenton Nelson

9) 49ers: Tremaine Edmunds

10) Raiders: Derwin James

11) Dolphins: Roquan Smith

12) Bills: Lamar Jackson

13) Washington: Vita Vea

14) Packers: Denzel Ward

15)