With quarterback Gardner Minshew II having such a solid rookie campaign, many forget that the Jacksonville Jaguars first pick of the 2019 NFL Draft, Josh Allen, had an even better season. After falling in the team’s lap with the No. 7 overall pick, he didn’t disappoint finishing the season starting in four games, registering 43 tackles, and also accumulating a franchise rookie record of 10.5 sacks.
His solid season was good enough to get him a Pro Bowl nod as well, but one key element that was missed in all of the production he and the rest of the Jags’ rookie provided was Allen’s pressure rate. After seeing 634 total snaps on defense, he was able to register 49 pressures, good for the second-highest total among all rookies.
Josh Allen had 49 QB pressures in his rookie season with the #Jaguars, 2nd most among all NFL rookies in 2019 pic.twitter.com/jbJGDo3GBR
— PFF JAX Jaguars (@PFF_Jaguars) June 1, 2020
Allen was a player who most believed should’ve been a top-4 pick in last year’s draft and his ability to get to the quarterback certainly shows it. In addition to the Pro Bowl recognition he received, he also was in the Defensive Rookie of the Year conversation. Unfortunately, the award was given to Nick Bosa, but the argument certainly could be made that Allen deserved it because he saw fewer snaps (634 to 777) and had more sacks.
This year, it appears Allen is set to start as Yannick Ngakoue is currently at odds with the front office for a new contract. With the potential of a significant snap increase, it will be interesting to see how he produces as his 2019 season was quite impressive for a player who wasn’t a full-time starter.