Senior Bowl: Josh Allen day one recap and reaction

Senior Bowl day one: Recapping the performance of Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen, whose day could be summed up in two throws…

Day one of the Senior Bowl was as advertised: Full of intrigue, especially at the quarterback position, and generally a great day for the talent at the event overall. There were a couple of players who struggled day one, but that’s not entirely unexpected.

One player we’ve all been eager to see in this format is Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen, who is one of the more polarizing quarterbacks in this year’s draft.

And that’s saying something, considering the company he’s in.

Allen’s arm talent was evident from the minute he stepped on the field and started playing catch. His release is effortless, and he can get velocity on the ball without even trying, it seems.

As impressive as Allen’s ability to throw a fastball is, it’s important to note that it isn’t always the best pitch.

And that was essentially the issue in Allen’s first day of Senior Bowl practice, and it may be his major issue as a whole. These two throws from 11-on-11 drills at the end of practice are really a microcosm of Allen at this point in time.

The first throw, sliding to his left and hitting a deep out to the far sideline, is as good as it gets. This is where Allen’s velocity makes him special. There are not many quarterbacks that could complete this throw, or even get it to the receiver without it being picked off easily.

Allen makes it look routine.

The next play, another anticipation throw that Baker Mayfield hit earlier in the session with ease, is one that Allen drives into the dirt.

As I mentioned in my review on Tuesday, Allen seems to have created a habit of trying to drive the ball into tight spaces. Many here at the Senior Bowl are of the opinion that this particular habit has risen from Allen’s receivers failing to get any real separation, so he’s had to force the ball into windows that barely exist, if at all.

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This will undoubtedly be the toughest part of Allen’s NFL transition. He simply throws the ball too hard most of the time because he’s used to having to do it. There was one particular play earlier in practice where Allen threw the ball to a wide open Michael Gallup so hard it sounded like a pitcher firing a fastball and hitting the sweet spot on the catcher’s mitt.

You could hear the impact of the ball on Gallup’s hands throughout the stadium.

It was both impressive and concerning. Allen needs to learn when to put some stank on the ball, and when to take a little off and have some touch. We saw him make some of those throws in the Potato Bowl, but unfortunately they are more rare than you’d like to see.

He has a chance on day two to really rebound and prove he can make ‘all’ the throws, not just fire the ball in wherever he wants to.