The Buffalo Bills in the 2018 NFL Draft made a massive risk by trading up to the seventh overall pick. They selected quarterback Josh Allen from Wyoming and it has turned out pretty well for them. Allen was one of the most polarizing quarterbacks in that class.
Baker Mayfield was selected number one by the Cleveland Browns that year and Sam Darnold was selected number three by the New York Jets. The Bills have to be happy about the progress they have had with Allen. He did not start in Week 1 that season for Buffalo. Nathan Peterman was the starting quarterback for Buffalo until he completely melted down against the Baltimore Ravens.
Allen came into the game and the rest was history. The Buffalo Bills have won the AFC East the last few seasons, but have yet to win a Super Bowl in franchise history. In their way is quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.
Former Denver Broncos General Manager John Elway Regrets Passing Up On Buffalo Bills Quarterback Josh Allen In the 2018 NFL Draft
The Denver Broncos had the number five pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. Denver won a Super Bowl title two years before that moment. Quarterback Peyton Manning was already retired and they were looking for a new quarterback for the long haul. The Broncos had the fifth pick in the 2018 NFL Draft.
John Elway was the Denver Broncos general manager and director of player personnel from 2011-2020. He is also the best quarterback in Broncos history. Elway discussed what happened during 2018:
“I loved him, but it just didn’t work out,” Elway said about Allen on the Pardon My Take podcast, via Nick Kosmider of The Athletic. “He was my type [of quarterback]. That was probably my biggest mistake of my GM days, not taking Josh.”
With the fifth pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, Denver selected outside linebacker Bradley Chubb at the time. Chubb is no longer on the Denver Broncos roster and he is on the Miami Dolphins. Former Broncos player Von Miller was thrilled about the move at the time and is now on the Buffalo Bills. Josh Allen was a major project at the time he was drafted into the NFL.
Who knows how he would have developed on the Broncos compared to the Buffalo Bills? Would Allen have been the same player he is today? People can second-guess themselves all they want but had he not performed well with the Broncos, there would have been people labeling Allen as a bust. Instead, he is one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL.
