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NFL Draft 2019: Top 32 prospects – Post-Senior Bowl edition

By Conor Dorney

ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN - NOVEMBER 17: Rashan Gary #3 of the Michigan Wolverines looks on while playing the Indiana Hoosiers at Michigan Stadium on November 17, 2018 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Michigan won the game 31-20. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN - NOVEMBER 17: Rashan Gary #3 of the Michigan Wolverines looks on while playing the Indiana Hoosiers at Michigan Stadium on November 17, 2018 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Michigan won the game 31-20. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /
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ORLANDO, FL – JANUARY 01: Kentucky linebacker Josh Allen (41) celebrates his sack during the first half of the Citrus Bowl between the Kentucky Wildcats and the Penn State Nittany Lions on January 01, 2019, at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, FL. (Photo by Roy K. Miller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
ORLANDO, FL – JANUARY 01: Kentucky linebacker Josh Allen (41) celebrates his sack during the first half of the Citrus Bowl between the Kentucky Wildcats and the Penn State Nittany Lions on January 01, 2019, at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, FL. (Photo by Roy K. Miller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

As I’ve always said (and don’t do any more background on this statement), it’s not an NFL Draft without a Josh Allen in the top ten!

While this year’s Josh Allen can’t throw the ball 100 miles per hour, he still is one of the most exciting edge prospects in a class that has plenty of talent at the position to go around.

Arriving at Kentucky as a two-star recruit, Josh Allen became the centerpiece of a Wildcats’ defense that helped lead the program to its first 10-win season since 1977. By no coincidence, Allen posted by far the best statistical campaign of his collegiate career, logging 21.5 tackles for loss and 17.0 sacks (second only to Louisiana Tech’s Jaylon Ferguson).

At 6-foot-4, 258 pounds, Allen uses his outstanding burst and quickness off the edge to wreak havoc in opponents’ backfields. He’s a long strider and has excellent flexibility in his hips that allow him to bend at the top of his pass rush. Allen’s long arms also help him to keep blockers out of his chest and read running plays, and he has the motor and explosiveness as a tackler to stop opposing ball carriers in their tracks.

Allen was asked to do pretty much everything while at Kentucky and that versatility will lend itself well to his NFL future. He’s got enough athleticism to drop into coverage, plenty of speed as a pass rusher, and sufficient play strength to not be completely erased in the run game. I think that with a more focused and defined role at the NFL level, Allen can further develop his pass rush repertoire and become one of the league’s best at the position within a few years.

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