ESPN senior NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. has always been high on Penn State quarterback Drew Allar.
Kiper said as such in an appearance on "The Adam Schefter Podcast" on April 28, during which he was asked who he believed was going to be the top quarterback in the 2026 NFL Draft.
His answer? Allar.
"Right now, this is the Drew Allar year," Kiper said. "When you're looking at having guys like that [running backs Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen] back, that should help him and should allow Drew Allar, with another year, to really step it up and to, maybe, become the No. 1 pick overall — or somewhere in the mix to be that first quarterback."
Kiper has since slightly softened his stance but still believes Allar remains among the top three draft-eligible signal callers in college football.
In an Aug. 13 episode of the "First Draft" podcast, Kiper placed Allar behind Clemson's Cade Klubnik and South Carolina's LaNorris Sellers as the third-best quarterback prospect in next year's draft.
"[It's his] second year in this offense, and [he has] much better receivers... Kyron Hudson comes from USC. Devonte Ross comes from Troy. Trebor Peña comes from Syracuse, right? You got freshmen in there. You got another kid who's in that mix, [Liam] Clifford, who's been there and done that... You got [Khalil] Dinkins at tight tight end. You got Luke Reynolds at tight end. You got an offensive line that goes eight, nine deep. Both running backs, Singleton and Allen, are back," Kiper said. "This sets up for Drew Allar doing phenomenal things for Penn State."
Allar could have left the Nittany Lions football program after last season to pursue professional opportunities but, like a number of his teammates, has returned looking to win a national title. In 2024, he completed 66.5% of his passes (262 completions on 394 attempts) for 3,327 yards, 24 touchdowns and eight interceptions.