CBS Sports Draft “expert” Chris Trapasso isn’t sold on Kentucky’s Josh Allen at the next level.
Allen was one of six players featured in Trapasso’s “Buyer Beware” article for the NFL Draft.
Check out his comments:
If you’ve followed me for, say, even a little more than a week, you know I believe most good players are good athletes. But to be an elite-level player at the edge rusher position, more is needed than a lightning-quick first step. I repeatedly mention “hand work” or pass-rushing moves because they’re vital at the pro level. On the field, in the SEC, Allen proved to be a rare mover for his size — nearly 6-feet-5 and 262 pounds. The speed at which he flew around the edge — with decent bend — helped him accumulate 17 sacks and 21.5 tackles for loss in his senior season.
His film doesn’t feature a wide-ranging collection of pass-rushing moves. Occasionally, Allen swiped offensive tackles’ hands away en route to the quarterback. Beyond that, Allen won with a good old-fashioned speed rush around the corner. NFL tackles are significantly better than SEC tackles. They’ll sit on that speed rush and take it away. Also, as the combine showed, for his size, Allen isn’t highly athletic. His three-cone time of 7.15 seconds placed him in just the 63rd percentile among players at his position over the past 20 years. It represents good, not otherworldly bendiness.
Because he’s so physically imposing, with top-level burst and a high motor, I think Allen will be a good pro. He’s inside the top 25 of my prospect rankings. But he’s seemingly destined for the top five. Maybe even the top three. I just don’t think he’s polished enough to live up to the lofty expectations that align with being selected that high. If he can learn to use his hands as a counter to his relentlessness around the corner, he can be an All-Pro. In most cases, it’s very difficult for edge rushers to effectively execute newly learned pass-rushing moves at the NFL level.
