Jags pick Josh Allen

The Jacksonville Jaguars have selected University of Kentucky defender Josh Allen with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. The Jaguars were expected to bolster their pass rush at some point in the draft, especially if one of the premier defenders slid and that’s exactly what happened with Allen.

“Good” Josh Allen, as I will refer to him for now, was one of the best pass rushers and defenders in the SEC last season. Allen played with both his hand on the ground as an edge rusher and also standing up and floating around like a linebacker, to the point where most considered Allen the perfect fit as a 3-4 outside linebacker, but he’s also drawn comparisons to Minnesota Vikings linebacker Anthony Barr.

For the Jaguars, I’m not sure how Allen would fit in their 4-3 look. He could line up as a defensive end on passing plays and perhaps play outside linebacker on run downs. With the addition of Dom Capers as an adviser, maybe the Jaguars start to shift to some 3-4 looks on their defensive front.

Quick Scouting Report from Filip Prus (@JaxonFil):

After arriving on campus at Kentucky at 208 pounds and not many offers as an over-looked recruit, Allen has become a self-made prospect, working his way to becoming one of the most fearsome and productive pass rushers in the SEC. Allen is yolked with bulging biceps and a barrel chest and has worked tirelessly in the weight room to get to 6’5” 260lbs this past year, allowing him to rack up 17 sacks. Allen wins with an explosive first step that he pairs with ethereal closing speed and has registered a 9.84 RAS as a DE. Allen plays with a tireless motor and doesn’t come off the field, likely factoring in as the Jaguars’ starting SAM in base downs and moving to edge rusher in pass rush situations. Much like Ngakoue, Allen has a knack for forcing fumbles and gives the Jaguars a ton of versatility on defense moving forward.

Overall, the Jaguars are getting an elite athlete at a premium position and an exceptional person off the field. Allen is married with one son and would participate in Special Olympics events after practice and volunteer at the Indian Summer Camp for children’s cancer survivors. Allen’s non-sport talent is cooking and he plans on being a sports analyst after his football career. In my conversations, I have heard glowing reviews of Allen’s character and Jacksonville seems to be getting a tremendous culture guy. Several opposing SEC tackles have listed Allen as the toughest player they’ve ever gone up against, and Lance Zierlein said earlier on NFL Network that a colleague of his who is Director of Analytics for an NFL team whose analytics had Aaron Donald as the best player in his draft have Allen pegged as being the best prospect in this class.

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