After trading picks 12, 53 and 56 to move up to the seventh overall spot, the Buffalo Bills selected Josh Allen as the quarterback of the future.
The NFL Network analysts gave the Bills B grade for picking up the QB out of Wyoming. The newest Buffalo Bill is drawing comparisons to Carolina Panthers quarterback, Cam Newton. NFL analyst Bucky Brooks had this to say after Allen became the Bills first pick of the night.
"Sean McDermott, Brandon Beane and a bunch of those guys come from the Carolina Panthers," said Brooks. "They had an athletic quarterback that was duel-threat with a strong arm, but wasn't a great accuracy guy in Cam Newton. I'm not saying Josh Allen is exactly Cam Newton, but there are a lot of similarities. Big, strong-armed passer, A arm talent. Not necessarily precise as a pocket passer, but when he makes plays and when he's hot, he certainly can get it done. Plus, you're getting a Cam Newton type specimen, without all the extra stuff that Cam Newton brought, I believe he fits into their blue-collar locker room. I think this is solid, this is what they wanted, now let's see what he brings to this team in western New York."
Bleacher Report analysts Chris Simms and Matt Miller ](http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2772752-josh-allen-nfl-draft-2018-scouting-report-grade-for-bills-rookie)both believe the Bills made a great move to acquire Josh Allen without giving up a second first round pick.
"I love the value here," said Miller. "He was my number two quarterback just a shade behind Sam Darnold. We've talked for a year about his athletic traits. He has the best arm I've ever seen. He's 6-5, 225 and I compare him to Cam Newton. Yes his accuracy needs work. … He has great size, he's a very good athlete and he's only getting better. … I give this pick an A-plus."
Simms noted Allen's arm strength as one of his best traits.
"He's my favorite quarterback in the draft," said Simms. "This is the perfect guy for the Bills. Brian Daboll is their offensive coordinator and where's he from – New England. They want big, pocket-passing quarterbacks. I didn't think I would be saying this a year after Patrick Mahomes, but he has the biggest arm I've ever seen. That's what kind of thrower he is. He's also an elite athlete. He's the second-best athlete at the quarterback position behind Lamar Jackson in this draft. To me, this is an awesome pick for the Bills and they didn't have to leverage the farm to go up and get him. … I give this pick an A-plus."
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Josh Allen's quarterback coach, Jordan Palmer joined Adam Schefter’s podcast to talk about the kind of player Allen is.**
"I heard a lot of things about him with his arm talent and his size," said Palmer. "He came to one of my QB camps as a counselor last summer. I have a camp where a lot of the top high school quarterbacks come and I have a lot of the top college quarterbacks come in as counselors. His arm talent is pretty undeniable. You see it right away. But I gravitated to the idea that this kid is really from a farm. He is blue collar. We throw around the term blue collar when somebody has a strong work ethic. But growing up on a farm that's the actual definition of blue collar. So we often throw around in air quotes that someone as a "blue collar mentality." For him it's not his mentality, but rather the foundation of who he is."
When it came to Allen's accuracy, Palmer said it shouldn't be as big of a concern as some people make it out to be.
"It's very easy to look at the college football as an even playing field and say this guy is 56 percent and this guy is 66 percent," said Palmer. "But the reality is the gap between good teams and bad teams and strong programs and young programs is so different in college than it is in the NFL. Even last year, the number one team in the NFL plays the number 32 team in the NFL, every player on the field is an NFL player… In college Josh didn't play with a single player on his team who is an NFL player. He didn't really play against a lot of guys who are NFL players. When I look at the tape 56 percent is pretty impressive when I factor in what his circumstances were."
In an interview with ESPN after becoming the seventh overall selection in this year's draft, Allen had this to say.
"I want to say thank you to the Bills organization for making the leap and putting their faith in me," said Allen. "I'm going make them look like they are the smartest people out there."
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