Josh Allen was drafted by the Bills in the 2018 draft and has since established himself as one of the top-five QBs in the league. With his superior rushing skills and a strong arm, he has consistently ranked among the top quarterbacks in the past four seasons. But these were qualities HC Sean McDermott had spotted in Allen even before he was drafted.
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Speaking to Rich Eisen on his show, McDermott detailed what set Allen apart from the other quarterbacks in his draft class, and how the Wyoming alum caught his eye.
“Josh was on our radar… right away you saw the competitive fire, you certainly saw the arm strength, but you also saw a guy that his team likes to be around. Those were the three things that jumped off the film.”
The head coach further revealed what it was like leading up to the draft. Allen’s first workout for the team further solidified their desire to have him on board. The workout had McDermott hoping Allen would still be around when it was time for the Bills to make their pick.
Eventually, Josh Allen was drafted seventh overall in 2018. But before becoming the face of the Bills’ franchise and one of the highest-paid players in the NFL, Allen was a standout quarterback for Wyoming.
Between 2016 and 2017, he passed for 5,015 yards, 44 touchdowns, and 21 interceptions with a 56% completion rate. Additionally, he rushed for 767 yards and 12 touchdowns on 234 carries. His impressive performance earned him a spot on the All-Mountain West team twice. Now, seven years down the line from his draft, what is Josh Allen, the Bills QB like?
Bills HC Reveals What It’s Like Working With Josh Allen
For his first two years as quarterback for the Bills, Allen struggled tremendously. Coming in with high hopes, those two seasons brought down not only his morale, but also of the coaching staff, who were afraid of him being a draft bust. But Allen recovered in a major way, and has emerged as a top quarterback in the league. For a talent like Josh Allen, head coach McDermott says its important for the team to stay on their toes,
“Its high level stuff. You’ve gotta come in and be prepared, whether you’re the head coach, or the position coach. I found over the years, to continue to take players like Josh to the highest level, you’ve gotta be on your A-game, and that’s what he looks for and expects out of us as staff.”
In each of the past five seasons, Allen has led his team to the playoffs, winning at least one game per season. He has come a long way from the top quarterback in Wyoming to the top quarterback in Buffalo. So, of course, he’s gonna expect high level stuff from his team and staff.
The McDermott-Allen QB-HC duo has been operating at the highest level for the past seven years, and if they want to continue this run, and hopefully even surpass it, nothing below the highest level can be considered.
