Drew Allar, Penn State
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Penn State quarterback Drew Allar working out at the 2026 NFL Combine.
A target has emerged in the New York Jets’ search for another quarterback.
ESPN’s Rich Cimini predicted that the Jets will select Penn State passer Drew Allar in the fourth round of the 2026 NFL draft.
“Keep an eye on Drew Allar (Penn State), who recently had a private workout at the Jets’ facility. He’s a developmental prospect with great size (6-foot-5, 228 pounds) and arm strength. Of course, this becomes moot if they pick Ty Simpson (Alabama) at Nos. 16 or 33,” Cimini wrote.
NFL Draft Analyst Views It the Same Way
Jets senior reporter Eric Allen asked NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah to reveal the ideal QB target for the Jets on day three of the 2026 NFL draft.
“If he were to make it to day three, I do think Allar probably goes in the third round, but just in terms of the size, physicality, to play in the weather in that division. He’d be someone that I think would be fun to work with and develop,” Jeremiah explained on “Now Boarding.”
“I do think he has a little bit of a bad rap in terms of how things finished up there at Penn State. He didn’t have a lot around him in terms of receivers. He had some tight ends and backs, but never had good receivers. Didn’t finish up the way he wanted, but you can find some good tape from him if you go back through it. At that point in time, if he made it to the fourth round, I’d be pumped about that,” Jeremiah added.
Paul Andrew Esden Jr
.@MoveTheSticks told @eallenjets that an ideal Day 3 QB for the #Jets is Penn State’s Drew Allar:
‘If he was to make it to day three, I do think Allar probably goes in the third round, but just in terms of the size, physicality, to play in the weather in that division. He’d be
This feels like the right time to strike. Selecting Allar on the third day of the draft will have zero impact on the team’s plans in the 2027 NFL draft.
It’s a low-risk versus high-reward type of proposition. If the Jets hit the QB lottery with Allar, pop the bubbly. If he is a complete flop, it doesn’t matter because you only invested a fourth-rounder.
Tantalizing Potential
It isn’t difficult to see why teams are intrigued.
Allar measured in at the NFL combine at 6-foot-5 and weighed 228 pounds. A former five-star recruit and the No. 1 nationally ranked quarterback coming out of high school.
On paper, Allar is the ideal quarterback that you would build on a lab table. Expectations were understandably high when he arrived at Penn State. Whether fair or unfair, Allar left Penn State with fans disappointed that expectations weren’t met and the full potential wasn’t realized.
Allar, at one point during his collegiate run, was considered a first-round prospect. He is no longer thought of in that same category.
NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein has him projected as a fourth-round pick. ESPN’s Benjamin Solak projected him to be a fourth-round draft choice. The NFL Mock Draft Database has Allar listed as a fourth-rounder.
“Allar has the arm talent to play in any offense in the NFL, but he was gun-shy and too inaccurate in 2025. He’s a developmental toolsy prospect who needs some time to refine his game,” Trevor Sikkema, formerly of Pro Football Focus, wrote.
The good news if the Jets select Allar is he wouldn’t be rushed onto the field. Geno Smith has already been crowned the QB1 for the NYJ. Allar would get some time to marinate behind the scenes.
If the Jets had things work out on their terms, Allar wouldn’t see the field as a rookie in 2026. Smith, the veteran passer, and Aaron Glenn, the head coach, both have chips on their shoulders. Smith has to win games and impress to keep his NFL journey alive, and the same can be said for AG heading into his second season as the HC.