Drew Allar’s College Football Playoff performance could have massive impact on 2025 NFL draft landscape
Lackluster 2025 QB class could get a huge bump.
The 2025 NFL draft is a real step down in talent at the most important position in football: quarterback.
In fairness, we saw as stacked a group as you’ll see come through the college-to-pro pipeline in 2024. Six picks in the top half of the 1st round isn’t something you see very often. And in 2025, even the most optimistic analysts will tell you it’s just a 2 quarterback class.
Those two QBs are Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders and Miami’s Cam Ward, who are both expected to go as high as the top-3 picks. They are very different styles, however, drawing some comparisons to the 2017 Goff/Wentz draft. So plenty of analysts only believe in one or the other. And still there are some who will very firmly tell you not to select either of these passers in the 1st round.
The consensus is split, but one thing is clear: the pickings at QB are extremely slim.
A handful of the passers in this class have already declared their intention to return to school, are expected to return, or (frankly) are making the wrong decision in choosing not to. The traits-y Jalen Milroe out of Alabama could clearly use another year in college. LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier has confirmed he’ll play another year and is likely to be a top pick in 2026. Georgia’s Carson Beck and Texas’s Quinn Ewers both would benefit from a return, though Beck has already committed to the draft and Ewers is undecided.
And then there’s Penn State’s Drew Allar. The 6’5 235lb Junior was the early favorite for sneaky hipster pick of the year. Draft nerds knew his major improvements year-over-year and fantastic physical build + tools would be a massive winner in NFL front offices. I myself spent a good bit of the fall saying I expected his draft stock to rise all the way up to a top-10 pick by the time April rolled around.
And then, Allar announced his intention to return to Penn State for another year.
Selfishly, those of us in the draft space were heartbroken. Allar was going to make for a really interesting three-QB discussion this spring. Unselfishly, Allar would be well served returning to school another season. If his improvement this past season was seen again in 2025, he could be a 1st overall pick when things are all said and done.
That’s from a development standpoint, however. And in truth, you could say this about a very large portion of players who declare for the draft after 2 or 3 season in college. From a business standpoint, there’s a pretty decent argument for Allar to consider changing his mind.
Penn State has won twice in the College Football Playoff, advancing to the Semifinal with relative ease. Allar, particularly in the quarterfinals against Boise State, looked really impressive on the biggest stage.
This kind of postseason display can seriously go a long way for one’s draft stock. Remember what CJ Stroud’s heroics in the playoff did for him that cycle? This stuff, albeit a very small sample size, matters.
And when you boil it down to a matter of supply and demand, Allar’s team could see this draft landscape as the right time for him to declare for the NFL. There are 5 or 6 teams currently slotted in the top-10 of the draft order who have an obvious need at QB: the Titans, Browns, Giants, Jets, Raiders, and Saints.
With only two QB options seen as potentially viable that high, and certain front offices sure to be in on one and out on the other, Allar has a serious opportunity to play his way into a top-10 draft pick in the CFP.
If you decided to reconsider, we wouldn’t be mad at you Drew!
Titans shouldn’t be shy about how badly they need to lose to Texans in Week 18 for the future of the franchise
The future of the Titans franchise is in the balance in Week 18, and everybody knows it.
