The Denver Broncos being ignored by the national media is a tale as old as time itself.
While the Broncos being disrespected, disregarded, and blatantly ignored by the media is expected at this point, the team and its star players being given the same treatment by scouts, coaches, and executives who are actually employed by NFL teams? That's simply going too far.
The NFL offseason is littered with ranking lists of all kinds, and some of the most intriguing lists that get released every offseason are Jeremy Fowler's position rankings over at ESPN. These lists carry some weight because they are voted on by actual NFL coaches, execs, and scouts. And the people Fowler is talking to apparently have no clue how good Broncos defensive lineman Zach Allen is.
Allen was recently ranked as the 8th-best defensive tackle in the league, and is only just now making his debut on the list at all.
Broncos All-Pro Zach Allen shockingly ranked 8th among all NFL defensive tackles
Here is the blurb from Fowler regarding Zach Allen ranking 8th on his list of top defensive tackles in the game today:
Allen finally cracked the top 10 after an impressive run in Denver. It's hard to ignore his pass-rush prowess, as his 131 quarterback hits since 2022 are eight more than the next-closest player, Myles Garrett. And Allen's 117 pressures during that span rank third most among interior defensive linemen. He can finish the backfield too, with 15.5 sacks over the past two seasons.
"His get-off and his relentless effort make him productive," an NFL personnel director said. "He's really good in those two areas."
Allen is known more for that get-off than his ability to stop the run, as he'll occasionally give up yards by shooting a gap to try to make a play in the backfield. But he's not incapable as a run stopper, either. The Broncos were pleased with his performance in that area last season.
- Jeremy Fowler, ESPN
If you were to ask 100 people working in the NFL today who the best pass rushers in the league are, Zach Allen's name might come up a handful of times. But because sacks are generally the way people first quantify pass-rush abilities, Allen's name won't be at the front of anyone's mind.
As Fowler notes, he's had 15.5 sacks over the last two seasons combined. Myles Garrett had 23 sacks last season alone. There is a high bar when it comes to recognition in the pass rush department, and if you're not consistently hitting in the double digits in the sack department, you're really relying on hype from the media to get the recognition you deserve.
And Allen doesn't really get that.
To be fair, Allen has been named to the AP All-Pro team in back-to-back seasons -- deservedly so -- and was a 1st-team All-Pro in 2025. But the fact that he was a 1st-team All-Pro last season makes his omission from the top 2 or even the top 5 of this list all the more interesting.
How could NFL coaches, executives, and scouts possibly whiff this badly?
The numbers reflect Allen's dominance as a pass rusher. If he played for the Dallas Cowboys, he'd probably be the most overhyped player in the league right now. Last season, he was right behind Myles Garrett in total pressures (50 to Garrett's 53). He was the league leader in quarterback hits.
You would think that would count for something among people employed by actual NFL teams, but apparently it doesn't.
While Allen did receive some 1st-place votes from those polled, he also was unranked by some. That's pretty embarrassing, and it would be fascinating to hear an explanation of why Allen wouldn't have been considered a top-10 defensive tackle at all from someone on the payroll of an NFL team.
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