Count NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock as a fan when it comes to one of the most polarizing prospects in the 2018 NFL Draft.
Speaking to reporters on a conference call Monday, Mayock touted Josh Allen as the "biggest-arm quarterback" he's seen since Raiders draft bust and former No. 1 overall pick JaMarcus Russell entered the league just over a decade ago.
Mayock fully expects Allen to be in strong consideration when new Browns general manager John Dorsey pulls the trigger to jumpstart this year's draft at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
"I've got Allen at No. 2, so obviously I think he's in the mix more so than Josh Rosen," Mayock said. "I think you have to kind of look at it from John Dorsey's point of view, also, and look at what he did a year ago at Kansas City, when he traded for the biggest-arm quarterback in that draft in Patrick Mahomes.
"So I think when you're the GM of Cleveland, you got to be thinking about the weather, playing outside, you need a big arm. His new offensive coordinator (Todd Haley) came over from Pittsburgh and he's used to Ben Roethlisberger. So, to me, Josh Allen has to be in that conversation at or one or four, along with (Sam) Darnold, perhaps Rosen and (Baker) Mayfield. But I think, just my gut, l think Darnold and Allen are the two guys they'd consider the most highly."
Mayock has ranked only USC's Darnold ahead of Allen on his initial list of the top-five prospects at each position. In doing so, he's projecting Allen's tantalizing physical traits to supersede the accuracy concerns and lack of production at Laramie last season.
"I look at Allen and I just can't believe how much potential and upside is there," Mayock explained to NFL Network's Lindsay Rhodes earlier this month. "He's the exact same size as Carson Wentz. He's coached by the same head coach that Carson Wentz had at North Dakota State, so he's coming out of a pro-style system."
That said, Mayock acknowledges that Allen's rocket arm doesn't guarantee long-term NFL success. In fact, Mayock believes the Wyoming star will have to be "rebuilt a little from the ground up."
Allen's footwork is an issue, Mayock added, "because the big negative about him is he's a 56-percent completion guy in college and that's a red flag."
