THROUGH THE YEARS (Clockwise from top left) 2014: Montclair High School’s Josh Allen pressures Saint Mark’s High School quarterback Matt Williams;
2016: University of Missouri’s Drew Lock fumbles the ball as he is hit by Allen during his time at the University of Kentucky; 2019: Working out during the
NFL Combine; 2019: Running drills during training camp for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
And Allen’s former coach — the
one who convinced him to give
defense a try in addition to his duties
at wide receiver — was in Nashville
that night for all the NFL Draft
festivities.
“What’s funny is, if you ask any
of the college recruiters who came
through back in 2014 and 2015 that
wouldn’t scholarship him, I said the
same thing to all of them: You guys
are all gonna look like idiots when
he gets drafted in the first round,”
Fiore says. “I really, honestly believed
that he had that potential and they
couldn’t see it, probably because he
only played defense for one year of
high school ball. But we see it now.”
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Talent evaluators love Allen’s game
now, as the former overlooked pros-
pect is on the verge of NFL stardom.
But to truly appreciate Allen’s pres-
ence on the field, there was plenty of
perspective to be gained from some of
those college quarterbacks he had in
his sights the moment the football
was snapped.
“His first step off the ball is some-
thing that is incredible,” former Penn
State star quarterback and Baltimore
Ravens draft pick Trace McSorley
says of Allen at the NFL Scouting
Combine.
“That’s one of the things you see
that jumps out on film right away,”
says McSorley, who was sacked three
times by Allen in the Citrus Bowl.
“His first step, how he will edge tack-
les, his speed and bend off the edge —
he is long, he gets really good bend,
and he is able to really attack the ball
when he gets to the quarterback. He
isn’t just looking for the sack. He’s
looking for the strip-sack.”
There were no secrets: as Missouri
quarterback and Denver Broncos
second-round draft pick Drew Lock
would attest, he knew Allen was com-
ing every single time, and the game
could change with one play.
“You’ve got to think about him,”
Lock says. “You’ve got to know he’s
there; you’ve got to know where
he’s at.”
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