The surprise benching of Anthony Richardson has completely changed the potential future of this franchise. No matter what rumor or news bit you believe from the coaching staff, it’s clear there are some doubts in Richardson’s capabilities. The team has moved from a development season into a “win now” team and anything less than a playoff berth will be a failure. The franchise will now have to pivot a bit on their draft plans going forward. Whether or not you believe Richardson is the future (or Ballard for that matter), you must have another developmental QB in the room.
As we have moved on from Round 1 picks and into Day 2 picks, it's time to begin building our docket of the next list of players the franchise could look to draft this coming April.
Current Tankathon Round 2 Position: Pick #49
The Indianapolis Colts Select
Drew Allar QB/Penn State
I know what you are thinking: why would we draft another young quarterback with someone there (in Richardson) that might be the future? The simple answers are competition and insurance. Continuing to bring in bridge veterans has shown to be a short-term solution, but nothing that is sustainable. No matter what you think is really going on with Richardson and this coaching staff, it’s clear that Shane Steichen can bring the best out of quarterbacks. His resume has proved that, which makes you inclined to think something is going on with Richardson, and not the other way around. This class also appears to not have a true transcendental prospect at quarterback, so using draft capital to trade up does not make much sense this time around.
Enter Drew Allar, the current quarterback of the Penn State Nittany Lions. While he is younger than Anthony Richardson, he has what Richardson did not when he was drafted. Allar has the starting experience at the highest levels of college football. Since his freshman year, Allar will have had two full years of starting experience. In his entire career so far, he has thrown six interceptions. He is terrific at not turning the ball over and can make all the throws.
If you look at his size, it is nearly identical to the size of Anthony Richardson. He does not have the same athleticism as Richardson (no one does), but has shown he has enough that is needed. You can question whether his coaching has been high level based on your opinion of Penn State HC James Franklin, but this season has been his best yet with a new offensive coordinator. Putting Allar in that room competing with Richardson (or whoever it will be) along with Shane Steichen could be just what this team needs to finally get some real stability at this position.