ATLANTA, GEORGIA - DECEMBER 30: Drew Allar #15 of the Penn State Nittany Lions reacts against the Mississippi Rebels during the second quarter in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on December 30, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - DECEMBER 30: Drew Allar #15 of the Penn State Nittany Lions reacts against the Mississippi Rebels during the second quarter in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on December 30, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)

Penn State QB Drew Allar is Painfully Underwhelming

Reading Time: 3 minutes

First Round Mock’s Rajvir Bal gave Penn State quarterback (QB) Drew Allar a lower grade after studying five of his games this past season.

ATLANTA, GA – DECEMBER 30: Mississippi Rebels defensive end Jared Ivey (15) pressures Penn State Nittany Lions starting quarterback Drew Allar (15) during the Saturday afternoon Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl game between the Penn State Nittany Lions and the Ole Miss Rebels on December 30, 2023 at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

The 2025 NFL Draft quarterback class lacks top-end talent.

That’s the popular narrative out there.

We know, no arm talent flies off the page for 2025. That doesn’t mean we need to skip the position altogether. So let’s look at Allar and see how he fits into the 2025 and how he projects to the NFL.

Background

Coming out of high school, Allar was a five-star recruit (247Sports.com).

He stands at 6-foot-5, 243 pounds measuring in the 87th percentile for height and the 97th percentile for the QB position (per NFLDraftBuzz.com).

Great size ⎯That’s what immediately earns him plus points for me.

What did his production look like in the first full season starting for the Nittany Lions?

  • 233 completions out of 389 attempts (59.9%)
  • 2,631 yards (6.8 avg.)
  • 25 touchdowns
  • 2 interceptions
  • Long of 75 yards
  • Sacked 15 times

#15 Drew Allar 6-foot-5, 243 pounds
Rajvir Bal’s 2025 NFL Draft Grade: Sixth-Round (I wouldn’t select him)
Projected by 22.4% of the NFL Draft Community to be a first-round pick as of June 4, 2024 (nflmockdraftdatabase.com)

2023 game film reviewed: Ohio State, Michigan, Indiana, Northwestern and
West Virginia (click to view games watched to form this evaluation)

2025 NFL Draft Scouting Report

The Good

He does have redeeming qualities that could cause an NFL team to select him. His frame is what NFL GMs salivate over. More often than not, he will be the biggest guy on the field. He can throw the ball for miles. His raw arm strength is among the best in college football, and he does go through his progressions well.

The Bad

His game film against good teams is flat-out awful, while his film against bad teams is average. He lacks any sort of mechanics. He struggles with even the simplest of throws. When blitzed or pressured, he quickly falls out of any rhythm. Allar can’t hit the broadside of a barn. This lack of accuracy coupled with his subpar pocket presence makes me question how an NFL team could take him on Day one or two. All of this instability will not serve him well in big games.

Final Thoughts for now

Allar’s 2023 game film does not justify a guaranteed roster spot at the next level. Because of this, I put the grade on him that I put on him. Drafting him late would be giving him no guarantees he will make a roster while seeing if he can adapt to NFL conditions in the preseason. However, if I were running an NFL organization, I would completely remove him from my board due to the time and tools required to make him playable. Allar will need great coaches around him to even attempt to fix his numerous flaws if he wants to stay on an NFL roster.

I could not get into his game film.

Rajvir Bal is a high school student from the Virginia area. He grew up a rabid Washington Redskins fan, attending more than 30 games, and has enjoyed the team’s high points and low points throughout his life. He plays varsity football and basketball. Rajvir has taken an interest in the NFL Draft since middle school when his team picked Montez Sweat and Dwayne Haskins in the first round. His favorite NFL player ever flips between Rob Gronkowski and Brett Favre, and his favorite athlete is LeBron James. He has been writing his own scouting reports since 2020, and is excited for the opportunities FirstRoundMock provides.

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