Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen probably will be selected in the top five picks of the NFL Draft this year. He stands at a solid 6-5, 234 pounds, has great mobility for his size, and an arm reminiscent of John Elway. He showed off all of his skills Friday in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl with three first-quarter touchdown passes which led the Cowboys to a 37-14 victory over Central Michigan.
However, as good as Allen was, Giants great Tiki Barber urged fans to pump the brakes a little when buying into the hype surrounding the Wyoming QB.
"He looks the part... but more important to me than looking the part is being the part and I don't know if he's always been the part," he said on his show Tiki and Tierney Friday. "I'm just saying, have a little bit of caution."
The Giants will likely have a chance to draft Allen this year and New York fans are probably salivating over Allen's performance Friday.
Allen finished the day 11-of-19 passing for 154 yards and three touchdowns. What made his performance even more tantalizing were throws like this one in the first quarter.
A bullet from @J_Prodigy_5 to @JSco_2 puts the Pokes on top! Two career catches for @JSco_2 and two TDs! #BuildingSomethingSpecial #GoWyo pic.twitter.com/TZh5vRa7XV
— Wyoming Cowboy FB (@wyo_football) December 22, 2017
That frozen rope from 23 yards out was just one of multiple stellar passes in the game's opening 15 minutes.
How about another TD pass from @J_Prodigy_5? He finds @CJ_Johnson15 deep down the middle! #BuildingSomethingSpecial #GoWyo pic.twitter.com/C3ZkBfLKQG
— Wyoming Cowboy FB (@wyo_football) December 22, 2017
It would be hard not to fall in love with an arm talent like this after just watching this game. But this is why NFL scouts do what they do. They watch more than one quarter of play. As amazing as Allen's first quarter was, evaluating Allen takes more than one 15-minute stretch of a bowl game.
Allen has all of the talent in the world, that is clear, but he completed just 56.2 percent of his passes this season, 56.0 percent last year, and has thrown 21 interceptions in two years with the Cowboys. Those are numbers to take note of, and when you also consider another overlooked stat from Friday's game, it makes you think a little more.
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The 21-year-old completed six of his first seven passes Friday, three of which went for touchdowns, but then went five for his next 12 with no TDs. That's more reminiscent of his career stats.
No one can say definitively Allen will not be a good NFL quarterback. It is very possible he will be. But just because a player has one good quarter his evaluation does not change. Allen has had problems with accuracy and has not dominated his conference despite not playing in the Power 5. He had some great highlights in Boise, but don't fall in love with the highlights. Listen to Barber and evaluate the player as a whole, and not by one fantastic stretch.