Quote:Flutie was drafted in the 11th round, Jurgensen in the 4th, Theisman in the 4th and LeBaron in the 10th.  In the case of LeBaron, I don't think players in general were as big back then as they are now across all positions but that's just a hunch on my part and not based on anything and frankly I don't care to look it up.  Regardless, you could probably have a list of 10 quarterbacks throughout history that had success in the NFL at 6'1" and under.  It happens, it's just extremely rare.  Knowing that, why would any GM worth his salt risk a 1st round pick on a non-prototypical sized QB?  The answer is: they wouldn't.  And the reason why they generally won't is because they know that size matters.

 

Again, I hope it works out for Allen but realistically it probably won't.  Not only is he short for the position, but he has small hands as well.  Smaller than Bridgewater's which were a concern during the build up to the draft a couple of years ago.  It's not a good combination.  If you gave him a clean pocket 95% of the time... maybe, but that's not a realistic possibility in the NFL. By comparison, Drew Brees and Russell Wilson have ginormous hands which are close to being an inch and a half bigger than Allen's.

 

I cringe at the thought of this guy taking a hit from an NFL lineman and wonder how many times out of 10 the ball ends up on the ground.  Probably more than what many would be comfortable with.

 

I don't feel the GM risked really anything it was a 6th round pick (201) the 2nd of their two 6 round picks. 

 

ESPN wrote on Allen

 

One of the things the Jaguars really liked about Allen was the fact that he played in multiple offenses during his career at Arkansas. That showcased his ability to learn and adapt and he played well throughout his career despite the changes. His 7,463 career passing yards are third in Arkansas history. Allen played for the Jaguars coaching staff at the Senior Bowl and he said that has given him a head start on the offense.

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