Josh Allen was one of the best players in college football in 2018. Instead of declaring for the draft after his junior season, he returned for his senior campaign, packed on 15 pounds of muscle, and was dominant from start to finish -- literally; he had three sacks, three tackles for loss and blocked a field goal in Kentucky's three-point Citrus Bowl win over Penn State.

College career

Allen arrived in Lexington as an unheralded prospect who, until Kentucky offered him a scholarship, was headed to Monmouth University in New Jersey. Allen spent three years at a small Alabama high school where he played wide receiver. He returned to New Jersey for his senior season and racked up a whopping 22.5 sacks. It wasn't enough to entice Rutgers to offer Allen, who ended up at Kentucky where he went from unknown to a likely top-five pick in the 2019 draft.

Allen only had a half a sack as a freshman but had seven sacks as a sophomore, matched that total as a junior and improved to 17 sacks last season. He also had 11 career forced fumbles, including five in '18. 

Among all FBS edge rushers, Allen ranked No. 1 in Pro Football Focus' pass-rush productivity metric. 

Combine/pro day results

MeasurementResult

Height:

6-foot-5

Weight:

262 pounds

Arms:

33 1/2 inches

Hands:

8 3/4 inches

WorkoutResult

40-yard dash:

4.63

Bench press:

28

Vertical jump:

--

Broad jump:

118

3-cone drill:

7.15

20-yard shuttle:

4.23

60-yard shuttle:

--

Here's Allen blazing his 4.63 40 at the combine:

Strengths/weaknesses

Strengths: Allen returned to Kentucky for senior season and added 15 pounds of muscle. He has a quick first step -- often first off the ball -- to regularly beat offensive tackles but he can also beat them with power. Allen occasionally gets engulfed by blockers but effectively uses hands to win more times than not. He also has the athleticism to drop into coverage, which he was asked to do frequently in college.

"Josh Allen was the best pass rusher I faced last year," Florida left tackle Jawaan Taylor told The Draft Nework's Jon Ledyard.

South Carolina left tackle Dennis Daley told a similar story.

"The best player I faced in college was Josh Allen," he recounted. "We kinda got in a hole on offense and things weren't going our way late. He's a real good player, he knows how to bend to get around the edge, he's so good at that. And he never stops, he just keeps it going. He's got that motor."

And here's the video evidence:

Weaknesses: There's a lot to like about Allen's game but he's not perfect; he doesn't always dominate tight ends in the blocking game like he should, he sometimes struggles to disengage from offensive linemen, and he can be stiff in coverage.

NFL comparison

From CBS Sports NFL draft analyst Chris Trapasso:

Robert Quinn. Quinn was a somewhat raw but super-explosive, bendy rusher with plus strength and the ability to comfortably drop into coverage when he entered the NFL out of North Carolina in 2011. Allen's strengths and weaknesses are comparable He is a large, powerful, speedy, and bendy edge rusher. The vast majority of 255-plus pound defensive ends can't flatten to the quarterback like Allen can. But also like Quinn, Allen relies mostly on his size/athleticism combination to win around the corner. He's sizable and smooth enough to win with that blend alone in the NFL -- a rarity -- but he needs to get much better with his hands to disengage from blocks to live up to the hype that comes with where he's likely to be drafted ... somewhere in the top five. 

NFL teams in play to draft Allen

Cardinals: If the Cardinals keep the No. 1 pick, they're likely taking Kyler Murray, Nick Bosa or perhaps Quinnen Williams. But should they trade down several spots, Allen would be a prime target.

49ers: If the Cardinals take Bosa first overall, the 49ers would have to decide between defensive tackle Quinnen Williams or Allen, who would join Dee Ford as San Francisco's edge rusher.

Jets: New York is a popular landing spot for Allen -- after Murray and Bosa are off the board, the Jets get their edge rusher at No. 3. The Jets' leading pass rushers last season? Linebacker Jordan Jenkins and defensive end Henry Anderson, who both had seven each.

Raiders: Oakland, who traded Khalil Mack and cut Bruce Irvin during the 2018 season, desperately need a pass rusher and Allen would be a steal at No. 4, when they're first on the clock. The Raiders have three first-rounders and they'll likely target a pass rusher early.

Buccaneers: Tampa Bay has needs at linebacker and offensive tackle but if Allen is on the board at No. 5, he'll be hard to pass up.

Giants: New York may or may not be interested in quarterback Dwayne Haskins with the sixth-overall pick; if they pass on him, edge rusher is atop the to-do list and there's no way they pass on Allen should he somehow slip this far.