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From Bad Reputation to First-Round Pick, Here’s How Buffalo Bills Drafted Josh Allen in 2018

Published 12/21/2020, 4:17 PM EST

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USA Today via Reuters

Josh Allen has slowly but steadily built his reputation in the NFL since joining the league in 2018. The former University of Wyoming star was a well-known college football star.

In fact, he was so good that he was contemplating declaring for the 2017 NFL draft itself alongside Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson. However, a brief conversation with Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz moved Allen to change his decision.

USA Today via Reuters

Allen had a decent season in Wyoming throwing for 1.800+ yards with 16 passing TDs. But things took a different turn on the day of the 2018 NFL draft. Prior to the event, Allen’s tweets from his college days began to surface on social media. The youngster used several racial slurs and insensitive terms which hampered his reputation in the build-up to the draft event.

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Reports indicated that the Cleveland Browns (who had the first pick in 2018) were inclined towards drafting Allen as the number one pick. But the bad timing of his whole Twitter fiasco ruined his moment of glory. The Browns drafted Baker Mayfield instead while Allen went to the Buffalo Bills as the seventh overall pick that year.

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How Josh Allen silenced his critics since joining the Buffalo Bills in 2018

Josh Allen showed great character by apologising for his past mistakes. He made it a point to build a connection with the fans right from day one which has done him a whole lot of good in the last couple of years. Along with Deshaun Watson, Lamar Jackson and Mahomes, Allen is also considered to be one of the ‘quarterbacks of the future’.

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Allen started in 11 games in his rookie year, winning 5 and losing 6. He showed signs of promise but it was clear that he was still an ‘unfinished product’.

USA Today via Reuters

In his first full season as a starter, Allen led the Bills to an impressive 10-6 record while playing under head coach Sean McDermott. The California-born quarterback has taken command of his team and is already a revered figure in the locker room. As of December 2020, Allen has thrown for 9,100+ yards with 60 TDs to his name.

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Allen leads the Bills to their first AFC East Division win since 19

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Josh Allen continues to earn plaudits for his performances with the Bills. He has already led the team to their first AFC East title win with an 11-3 record in 2020. This is the Bills’ first divisional championship win since 1996.

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He has already thrown for 4,000 yards with 30 passing TDs to his name this season. With the Bills in contention to make it to the AFC Championship Game, a Super Bowl win is not too far-fetched for this starry-eyed youngster. Does Patrick Mahomes have to worry about someone coming for his throne as NFL’s ‘Golden Boy’? We’ll have to wait to find out.

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Written by:

Daniel Arambur

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Daniel Arambur is an NFL writer and content strategist for EssentiallySports.With more than 1,000 articles, he is one of the senior writers in the NFL cohort at ES. A mass media graduate from the University of Mumbai, Daniel has found the perfect blend of vocation and passion in the sports content niche.
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