Lammey: 3 important takeaways from the Josh Allen pro day

Laramie was the center of the NFL scouting community on Friday, and Josh Allen had the town, and the football world, buzzing with a stunning performance at the University of Wyoming pro day Friday.

As one of the dozens of media members in attendance, I can tell you the anticipation before Allen threw was so thick you could cut it with a knife. There was a sense of excitement in the air.

Throwing 60 passes in front of NFL scouts and representatives from all 32 teams, Allen continued his strong pre-draft performance. At every stop so far this offseason, he’s arguably been the best quarterback of the first-round-graded prospects at his position.

Allen improved during the week of practice at the Senior Bowl in January and ended up throwing three touchdowns in the game. At the NFL Scouting Combine earlier this month, Allen was the most impressive passer when compared to other top quarterbacks Josh Rosen (UCLA) and Baker Mayfield (Oklahoma).

The positive momentum created from those events continued to Friday. In fact, Allen had “one of the better pro day throwing sessions you’re ever going to see,” NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah said.

Here are the three most important takeaways from Allen’s pro day:

Josh Allen has improved footwork

While other quarterbacks have questions off the field, the biggest concern when it comes to pro potential is Allen’s lack of accuracy.

In two seasons as the starter for the Wyoming Cowboys, Allen completed 56.2 percent of his passes, which ranked 130th out of quarterbacks who started in 2016 and 2017 and is lower than the average in the FBS during that same time (60.5 percent).

A big reason why Allen’s accuracy suffered was due to poor footwork.

That’s something he’s been working on since the Senior Bowl. It was clear during his pro day that Allen cleaned up his footwork. He’s been working with noted quarterback guru Jordan Palmer on shortening his stride into throws.

“It all starts from the feet. As accurate as I want to be, it starts there.” Allen said after his workout.

Allen’s dropback is already crisp and energetic, but he would sometimes overstride when throwing the ball downfield. Now, he does a good job of containing his feet properly while using his incredible arm strength to zip the ball to the intended target.

His arm is even stronger than we thought

We didn’t need to see Allen’s pro day to know he’s got a rocket arm. Some reports indicate Allen can throw it 90 yards in the air, while others mention Allen hitting the uprights while on his knees from the 50-yard line.

Those carnival tricks are great for a YouTube video, but in the NFL it’s about making timely and accurate throws.

With improved footwork, Allen’s accuracy and pass placement was not an issue at the pro day. Receivers would turn for the ball and find it there in a hurry, and Allen only had three passes on the day that could be considered poorly thrown balls.

His passes come in so fast that you can hear them cut through the air. It was almost unsettling standing on the sidelines as passes came near.

One receiver, in particular, kept letting the passes get into his chest and the uncomfortable (and loud) thud the passes made upon hitting his body made a few media members on the sideline cringe.

Allen’s open to being a backup … for now

After his pro day, Allen was asked about getting selected by the Denver Broncos and what he’d think about sitting behind starting quarterback Case Keenum.

“I’m a competitive guy, and I want to play as fast as possible, but sitting behind someone for a year and learning as much as I can about the offense and what’s going on in the NFL would definitely be a blessing,” Allen said.

Keenum is the starter for the Broncos this year, but just because they added him in free agency earlier this offseason does not take them out of the running to select a quarterback with the No. 5-overall pick.

While Keenum is smaller in stature, he is accurate and incredibly competitive. Allen has a large frame, a rocket arm, and accuracy that can best be described as a “work in progress.”

Denver was represented by five members of the staff in attendance at Laramie, including Broncos senior personnel adviser Gary Kubiak.

If Kubiak liked what he saw from Allen on Friday (and during the entire pre-draft process) then the Broncos may have to move up in the first round to select him.

After his pro day Friday, Allen may not be on the board for too long and is certainly a consideration to be the first quarterback selected in the 2018 NFL draft.

Follow @CecilLammey