EAST RUTHERFORD – If only there were a third quarterback for the New York Giants to consider in the 2025 NFL Draft, considering they currently hold the third pick in what has been pegged as a two-QB race with the possibility that Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders could be off the board before Big Blue goes on the clock.
Here’s the question NFL minds are pondering, the Giants certainly among them: what if Penn State quarterback Drew Allar changes his mind?
The 20-year-old quarterback for the Nittany Lions has taken his game to another level, lifting his team to within two wins of the national championship in a chase that continues Thursday night at the Orange Bowl against Notre Dame.
And prior to the College Football Playoffs, Allar announced his decision to return to Happy Valley for the 2025 season. But, as with anything, there is time for that to change. The deadline for underclassmen to declare for the draft this April is next Wednesday (January 15).
If Allar and Penn State are able to defeat Notre Dame and reach the CFP championship game, where they would play the Texas-Ohio State winner, the deadline for players to declare is January 24, four days after the title is decided.
“All it takes is one team looking at Allar winning a couple playoff games and saying, ‘We love the progression, we like where he’s headed, this is the guy for us,’” draft analyst Dane Brugler of The Athletic told NorthJersey.com. “So, even though body of work is what matters over much of this, sometimes subconsciously the way these guys play in big games, that takes precedence.”
The Giants made no secret that finding their next quarterback is a priority this offseason, and that came straight from the mouth of the man who signs the checks earlier this week.
“That’s obviously the No. 1 issue for us going into this offseason: to find our quarterback of the future,” Giants co-owner and team president John Mara said Monday shortly after declaring that general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll would return for a fourth season. “Whether that be via the draft or acquiring a veteran, it’s going to be up to [Schoen and Daboll] to decide, ultimately.”
The Giants have done extensive homework on Sanders and Ward, and the Class of 2025 in totality. Alabama’s Jalen Milroe and Jaxson Dart of Ole Miss are popular mentions for Big Blue if those two are selected by the Titans and the Browns, the two teams set to pick 1-2.
There’s no question the Giants have a familiarity with Allar, the 6-foot-5, 235-pound junior whose growth and maturation have been notable. They drafted tight end Theo Johnson out of Penn State in the fourth round last year and they have plenty of eyes on and within James Franklin’s program.
“I’ve got a lot of confidence in our process,” Schoen said. “We’ve done these quarterback deep dives the last two or three years, and, I would say the players that we were high on went on to have solid rookie years or second years, whatever it may be. So, again, a lot of faith in my staff, a lot of faith in the coaching staff whether it’s the draft or free agency or who we sign, that they would be able to develop them.”
Now that the Giants’ season has ended, Daboll said he would begin his work on scouting the draft-eligible quarterbacks this week.
“I’m extremely competitive in everything that I do, and I want to win and I want to be perfect in everything that I do,” Allar told reporters. “So [his emotion] kind of stems from that, but I also had to be intentional about it, because there’s good times to show emotion like that, but there’s also bad times to show it. Playing quarterback, you definitely have to be cool, calm, collected.”
Allar is 23-5 as a Penn State starter, and he has thrown for more than 6,000 yards in three seasons with just nine career picks in 820 attempts. All five of those losses came against ranked opponents, including two to Ohio State.
This year, Allar has thrown for 3,021 yards, 21 touchdowns and seven interceptions while leading Penn State to a 13-2 record and a spot in the College Football Playoff semifinals against Notre Dame.
A win Thursday would give Penn State a chance to win its first national championship since 1986.
“Allar is going to rise,” ESPN analyst Jordan Reid said of the Penn State quarterback, who turns 21 in March. “I don’t know if he’s going to declare … but if you just look at the traits with Allar – he’s 6-5, 240, very strong arm, he’s mobile enough, not a statue at all by any stretch of the imagination – it’s hard not to see him as a guy up there if he does.”
Allar remains a polarizing prospect despite those traits. His accuracy, although improved this season to 68%, is something that will garner criticism from scouts. Like Franklin, his coach, the pressure to perform in big games will be a knock until he wins one – which is why Thursday night is such a potential narrative-altering possibility.
“The narrative can change on Drew Allar because of the expansion of the college playoffs,” Brugler added. “If Michael Penix doesn’t have that performance against Texas last year, does he still go Top 10? Maybe. We’ll never know. With Drew Allar, this is a chance to really write the narrative. His opportunity to help himself and the way he’s viewed in this quarterback class, it’s there.”
The stage is set Thursday night at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla., and the Giants, and the rest of the NFL, will certainly be watching – and waiting – to see if Allar calls that audible on his future.
