Drew Allar is a quarterback and 2026 NFL Draft prospect who played his collegiate career at Penn State University. A native of Medina, Ohio, Allar was a five-star recruit who committed to the Nittany Lions and served as a backup in 2022 before taking over the starting role full-time in 2023, leading Penn State to a 10-3 record while completing 59.9 percent of his passes for 2,631 yards and 25 touchdowns against just two interceptions in his first full year as the starter. He improved significantly in 2024, completing 66.5 percent of his passes for 3,327 yards and 24 touchdowns while leading Penn State to the College Football Playoff semifinals, a performance that generated first-round buzz and prompted him to return for his senior year rather than enter the 2025 draft. His final season ended prematurely when he suffered a broken left ankle on a scramble against Northwestern in Week 6 of 2025, finishing that truncated campaign with 1,100 yards, eight touchdowns, and three interceptions before undergoing surgery. In 45 career games at Penn State, Allar threw for 7,402 yards and 61 touchdowns against just 13 interceptions.
Standing at 6-5 and 240 pounds, Allar carries the prototypical size that NFL teams covet at the quarterback position, and his arm talent is legitimate across all three levels, with the ability to squeeze the ball into tight windows with velocity while also layering deep shots with touch. He participated in the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine while still recovering from his ankle surgery, where he drew positive reviews from area scouts who noted that his arm strength appeared fully intact. The concerns surrounding his profile center on below-average pocket mobility that makes sacks and broken play situations a vulnerability, mechanical inconsistencies in his lower body that have been a recurring theme throughout his college career, and a 2025 season in which he was playing more conservatively before his injury rather than building on the improvements scouts had been hoping to see. His healthy body of work, particularly from 2024, represents a legitimate ceiling as an accurate pocket passer with a cannon arm and the experience of 35 collegiate starts. He projects as a Day 2 selection, likely in the third or fourth round, with a long developmental runway and the physical tools that keep him in most evaluators' QB2 tier for this class.
