Move over, Arch Manning. ESPN’s Mel Kiper believes this Penn State player could be the No. 1 overall pick in next year’s draft.
During an appearance on ESPN’s “Get Up” on Thursday, the NFL draft analyst championed Penn State quarterback Drew Allar, who returned for his senior season after leading the Nittany Lions to a 13-3 record and a College Football Playoff semifinal appearance. Kiper believes they will be the top team standing at the end of the season.
“I think you look at Drew Allar — looks the part. He’s going back, smart move to go back. Now he has receivers who can get open,” said Kiper, referring to transfers Devonte Ross, Kyron Hudson and Trebor Pena. “Keep in mind, in the final four games last year, he was below 60 percent. Guys couldn’t get separation. The new wide receivers can. He’s got two young tight ends as well [Luke Reynolds and Andrew Rappleyea], a heck of an offensive line, and [Nicholas] Singleton and [Kaytron] Allen in that backfield, so this offense is ready to roll with Drew Allar this year.”
Can Drew Allar Build on Strong 2024 Campaign?
Allar had a solid season in 2024, completing 66.5% of his passes for 3,327 yards, 24 touchdowns and eight interceptions, though he struggled in key games against Ohio State, Oregon and Notre Dame. Kiper believes he can be even better in 2025, solidifying his spot as one of the top picks in the 2026 NFL Draft.
“He can be in line to be a top-10 pick, maybe the top one or the top two or three picks overall,” said Kiper.
"He could be in line to be a top-10 pick, maybe one of the top two, three picks overall [in the NFL Draft]."
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) August 28, 2025
—@MelKiperESPN on Penn State QB Drew Allar pic.twitter.com/F0mheQfnBo
Manning, the Texas Longhorns quarterback, is predicted by many analysts to be the first pick in 2026, if he decides to leave college. If not, the field is wide open, and the No. 1 selection could be filled by Allar if he has a stellar senior year.
NFL.com analyst Daniel Jeremiah previously identified areas where Allar needs improvement: “Allar needs to do a better job of making the easy throws and refining his footwork under pressure. He misses too many quick hitters in the games I studied. He gets sped up and loses control of ball flight. He needs to quiet his feet and smooth out his delivery. The good news is that it’s easily fixable. He also has a bad habit of drifting in his drop and failing to set his feet versus pressure. There are times where it’s appropriate to gain distance and rely on fade-away throws against free rushers.”
Penn State, ranked No. 2 in the nation, opens their season Saturday against Nevada at home at 3:30 p.m. ET.
