The much-hyped 2018 NFL Draft quarterback class just gained another member as Josh Allen announced that he will be skipping his final year of eligibility at Wyoming. Allen made the announcement in front of teammates and fans after accepting the MVP award of the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, which the Cowboys won in dominant fashion.
Potato Bowl MVP Josh Allen declares for the NFL Draft. #GoWyo pic.twitter.com/qGlZsiNDqt
— Brandon Foster (@BFoster91) December 23, 2017
Allen is considered a lock to be a first-round pick, most likely as one of the top quarterbacks taken off the board. Todd McShay has Allen going fifth overall to the Denver Broncos in his latest mock draft. Broncos GM John Elway was in attendance to watch Allen play in his final college game.
Wherever he ends up, Allen will be one of many great stories coming out of the upcoming draft. After not even being recognized by recruiting outlets out of high school and receiving only two Division I scholarship offers out of junior college, Allen helped turn Wyoming’s program around and built his draft stock from the ground up.
After losing 4 offensive players to the NFL following his breakout sophomore season, it became clear how much Allen meant to this year’s Wyoming team after he went down with a shoulder injury. Without Allen, the Cowboys scored 23 points over two games and lost to San Jose State, one of the worst teams in the FBS.
Behind a clearly healthy Allen and eight forced turnovers by Wyoming’s defense, the Cowboys cruised over Central Michigan 37-14 for their first bowl win since 2009.
Allen finishes his college career over two full seasons with over 5000 yards passing, 44 touchdowns and 21 interceptions.