Report: Houston QB Kyle Allen to enter NFL draft
The 2018 NFL draft quarterback class is getting more and more crowded. And Kyle Allen may be its most surprising member.
According to the Houston Chronicle, the former Texas A&M quarterback and current Houston Cougar is going to leave the University of Houston and head to the NFL. As a graduate, Allen had the option of transferring and playing in 2018 at a different school.
Source: Houston quarterback Kyle Allen plans to skip final year of college eligibility and has hired an agent for purpose of entering NFL draft | @KyleAllen_10 @UHCougarFB pic.twitter.com/PeoLzYUzy0
— Joseph Duarte (@Joseph_Duarte) January 11, 2018
Allen’s college career hasn’t been entirely straightforward. He was the No. 1 pro-style quarterback and No. 7 prospect overall in the class of 2014 when he signed with Texas A&M. He came to the Aggies as part of a heralded recruiting class and was considered a favorite to succeed Johnny Manziel with the Aggies.
That happened. Sort of. Allen played 10 games as a freshman and was 118-192 passing for 1,322 yards, 16 touchdowns and 17 interceptions.
He played in 10 games as a sophomore and while his yards per attempt increased in his second season, his completion percentage dropped. He was the team’s main quarterback during the season but ended up splitting time with Kyler Murray, another heralded recruit.
Both Murray and Allen announced they were transferring before the team’s bowl game, leaving Jake Hubenak as the team’s starter against a Lamar Jackson-led Louisville team. As Allen sat out the 2016 season as he committed to now-Texas coach Tom Herman at Houston, Murray transferred to Oklahoma, where he was the primary backup to Baker Mayfield in 2017.
Allen began the 2017 season as Houston’s starter but ended up throwing the fewest passes of any Cougar QB who attempted a pass. Allen was 80-105 passing for 751 yards and four touchdowns and four interceptions and was replaced by Kyle Postma in the fourth quarter of a game against Texas Tech in September.
D’Eriq King then replaced Postma in October and was the team’s starting QB for the rest of the season.
While he was a top quarterback coming out of high school, Allen will probably be a late-round pick in the NFL draft based on his workouts and interviews. UCLA QB Josh Rosen seems like the favorite to be the top pick, and Wyoming QB Josh Allen, USC QB Sam Darnold, Jackson and Mayfield could all go in the first round too.
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Nick Bromberg is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
