Mel Kiper predicts Drew Allar to contend for Top-10 pick in NFL Draft

Penn StateQB Drew Allar could’ve declared and been a pretty high draft pick back in April. Instead, in coming back for another season with a title contender in the Nittany Lions, ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. thinks he could improve that stock into being one of the first few selections in the 2026 NFL Draft.

Kiper took a look at several collegiate quarterbacks, with Allar along with Texas’Arch Manning, Clemson’sCade Klubnik, and LSU’sGarrett Nussmeier, on ‘Get Up’ on Thursday ahead of the first full weekend in college football. He thinks Allar could play his way into being a top-five or top-ten pick if he has the kind of campaign he expects he could have in this experienced, improved offense for Penn State.

“I think, you look at Drew Allar? He looks the part. He’s going back, smart move to go back. Now he has receivers who can get open. Keep in mind, final four games of last year? He was below 60%. Guys couldn’t get separation,” Kiper Jr. said. “The new wide receivers, and he’s got two young tight ends as well, a heck of an offensive line, and (Nick) Singleton and (Kaytron) Allen in that backfield? This offense is ready to roll with Drew Allar this year.”

“He could be in line to be a top-ten pick, maybe one of the top two, three picks overall,” Kiper Jr. stated.

Allar had a career-best season last fall in his second year as a starter, completing 66.5% of his throws for 3,327 yards, 24 touchdowns, and eight interceptions while rushing for six more scores on top of that. With that, the Nittany Lions would, despite their problems in the receiving corps, have one of the top offense in the nation with averages of 33.1 points and 430.2 yards per game in the unit’s debut under OC Andy Kotelnicki.

Now, the Nittany Lions’ offense should only be that much better this season. That’s with Allar back for his third season as a starter, a returning backfield, that averaged 142.6 rushing yards and scored 20 touchdowns last season, and several back from their offensive line, and a set of receivers that has to be better following the transfer additions of Trebor Pena, Kyron Hudson, and Devonte Ross.

They, paired with what should again be one of the better defenses in the country as well, make up one of the best teams in the country this season, with Penn State entering at No. 2 in the Preseason AP Poll and currently being tied for the third-best odds to win the College Football Playoff per BetMGM. That’s why Kiper does in fact have them as his prediction to win the national title this season.

“Love this team,” said Kiper. “They’re my national championship pick.”

Allar could’ve very well been a first-round pick, even a high one at that, in the 2025 NFL Draft. However, with how he could play with what’s around him this season, Kiper thinks he could now trend into being one of the top picks period come next spring’s draft in 2026.