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How Penn State's Drew Allar Graded at the NFL Scouting Combine

The former Nittany Lions quarterback threw in public for the first time since his October injury.
Mark Wogenrich|
Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Drew Allar throws during the NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Drew Allar throws during the NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

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Penn State quarterback Drew Allar said he wanted to prove that he has the best arm at the NFL Scouting Combine. How did he do? As usual with Allar, the reviews were mixed.

The former Nittany Lions starter threw in public for the first time since the Oct. 11 injury against Northwestern that ended his college career. Of course with Allar, arm strength is a given. As he proved here with this very natural 57-yard throw downfield.

But Allar's eventual draft grade will land on the more rounded picture of how he processes information, how he makes decisions under NFL duress and how accurate he is with a variety of throws. At the combine, Allar's pros and cons were on display.

CBS' Josh Edwards gave Allar a grade of B for his throwing performance at the combine, behind Alabama's Ty Simpson, LSU's Garrett Nussmeier and Miami's Carson Beck. Allar "struggled early" in his throwing session, according to Edwards, which was evident in his performance. Then he rallied.

"At times he looked like he was fighting his lower body due to inconsistent footwork, but he grew more comfortable as drills progressed and performed his best during the second half of the throwing session," Edwards wrote. "The Ohio native was particularly effective go balls, comebacks and fade routes."

That was to be expected, considering Allar had not thrown before an audience in more than four months. Allar sustained a broken ankle against Northwestern and had surgery the following week. He had been pointed to the combine since.

Allar did not participate in on-field testing in Indianapolis and told reporters that he probably won't run at Penn State's Pro Day in March. He will thrown again, though, giving him another chance to provide more data for NFL personnel.

According to ESPN, Allar remains in the mix as the draft's third quarterback selected after Indiana's Fernando Mendoza and Simpson. Though he likely left Indianapolis with a third-round grade, though ESPN's Jordan Reid wrote that Allar "showed signs of progress."

"After an underwhelming start which included multiple inaccurate throws, Allar settled in and finished strong, showcasing his arm strength and ability to drive the ball to all areas of the field," Reid wrote. "Scouts that I have talked to said they still view him as an option in Round 3 or 4."

Allar still has fans, though, notably in the predictions market. Polymarket suggested that Allar could be the "steal of the draft," largely based on his size (6-5, 228 pounds at the combine) and ability to throw deep.

It's certainly possible. Pro Football Focus currently ranks Allar at No. 140 on its NFL Draft big board, or the No. 6 quarterback in the class. Allar has some ground to cover before the April draft in Pittsburgh, though he's willing to go prove it.

"I have a lot of trust in an ability, in my arm talent, and I’ve been working relentlessly to get as consistent as I can and just find different ways to get better," Allar told reporters in Indianapolis. "I’m sure most of you know I’ve only been really playing quarterback since my freshman year of high school. So I feel like every year that I’ve played the position at quarterback, I’ve taken a step, and this offseason is no different, even though it looks a little bit different than what i envisioned."

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Mark Wogenrich
MARK WOGENRICH

Mark Wogenrich is the editor and publisher of Penn State on SI, the site for Nittany Lions sports on the Sports Illustrated network. He has covered Penn State sports for more than two decades across three coaching staffs, three Rose Bowls and one College Football Playoff appearance.

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