Players who have stood out in NFL preseason

#4 Josh Allen, QB, Bills

I never thought Allen was a top-ten prospect and I had him as my number five quarterback available, but he has proven me wrong so far this preseason. It’s crazy to say this, because it was my biggest concern for the former Wyoming signal-caller, but what has impressed me the most about Allen has been his movement inside the pocket.

When I watched his college tape I saw no ability to maximize his space in the pocket and deferring to getting on the move and trying to squeeze in some crazy throws. His first touchdown versus the Browns was everything I thought he could not do in terms of avoiding the rush while keeping his eyes downfield. Allen had a free rusher in his face, but dipped his shoulder, stepped up and threw an absolute dime to the back of the end-zone.

Of course, his arm strength is ridiculous and he’s shown it off plenty, but even though I wasn’t as concerned about his accuracy issues in college as many others, I’ve been more impressed with his ability to get the ball out on time and target. Yes, he attempted a really stupid pass falling down in week one versus the Panthers and there will be some growing pains, but Allen has looked much more pro-ready than I anticipated and none of the other two guys on that roster have really taken the job.

Unfortunately, in his first start in week three of the preseason, the rookie QB was under constant heat from the Bengals pass rush, but I put that more on the offensive line, even though he will have to adjust when the real games roll around. Allen to me has looked Roethlisberger-esque with a wiggle and deceptive speed once he decides to tuck it.