Josh Allen's path to becoming the best football player on the planet was far from a straight line.
To become the NFL MVP for the Buffalo Bills, Allen had to prove himself in high school, then at a junior college, then at Wyoming, of all places.
But the journey was worth it. Allen is an all-world football player, beloved by Bills Mafia, feared by opposing defenses, and the best candidate the Bills have ever had to lead them to an elusive Super Bowl title and Lombardi Trophy.
The making of Allen will always be exceptional.
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Where did Josh Allen go to high school?
The football journey started earlier, of course, but Allen's first important games came on Friday nights at Firebaugh High School in California, about 45 miles west of Fresno.
Firebaugh is a 7,600-person town, which limited the desire of college coaches to come watch Allen play.
In Allen's senior season, Firebaugh won a school-record 10 games. He threw for 3,061 yards and 33 touchdowns.
In the offseasons, he played basketball and baseball instead of going to football camps.
And so the future NFL MVP didn't have a single scholarship offer.
Josh Allen in junior college
Fresno State knew about Allen — there's even a photo of Allen with Fresno State quarterback Derek Carr — but they didn't believe Allen would be able to handle the step up in competition to a Divison I level. That's how Allen wound up at Reedley Community College, east of Fresno, in his first year after high school.
As Reedley's starter, Allen threw 25 touchdowns and just four interceptions.
He still didn't get noticed.
And so the future NFL MVP sent hundreds of emails to college coaches, just hoping for a sniff.
Two showed interest: Eastern Michigan and Wyoming.
Allen didn't even get his official scholarship finalized with Wyoming until Eric Dungey, a quarterback from Oregon, chose Syracuse instead of Wyoming. Dungey became an all-time great for SU, and Allen had his spot at Wyoming.
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Josh Allen in college at Wyoming
A broken clavicle delayed Allen's starting tenure at Wyoming, but he took over the starting QB job in 2016. Allen's strong arm and athletic ability were never in doubt, and he threw 44 touchdowns across two seasons.
But there was a bit of inconsistency. He was intercepted 21 times, completing just more than 56 percent of his passes.
Allen's true quality was cast in further doubt during his final year at Wyoming, when he struggled mightily against high-major competition in Oregon and Iowa. In those two losses, Allen was a combined 32-for-64 (50 percent) passing while failing to throw a touchdown and being picked off three times. Allen also struggled against Boise State later in the 2017 season, but he ran 18 times for 62 yards and a score to show the potential as a dual-threat QB.
In his final game at Wyoming, Allen led the Cowboys to a 37-14 win over Central Michigan in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. He went 11-for-19 through the air that day for 154 yards and three touchdowns, ending back-to-back eight-win seasons on a high note.
Why the Buffalo Bills drafted Josh Allen
Allen was part of a deep QB class that also included Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, Josh Rosen and Lamar Jackson.
Among those top names, Allen might've rivaled Jackson for the most pre-draft question marks from so-called draft analysts. Those other four quarterbacks went to Oklahoma, USC, UCLA and Louisville. Allen went to Wyoming. Mayfield, Darnold and Rosen all completed more than 60 percent of their college passes. Allen had completed 56, lower even than running QB Jackson's 57 percent.
One draft report gave Allen the eye-test pros: "Ideal size," "Very strong arm," "Excellent mobility." But the negatives had potential to ruin Allen: "Accuracy issues," "Ball security," "Struggled against better teams."
The Bills viewed Allen's film as a comparison to the other quarterbacks in the class, and would ask questions like, "What would Baker Mayfield do here?" They liked what they saw and were sold on Allen in a pre-draft interview.
Allen went No. 7 overall to Buffalo.
Mayfield had gone No. 1, and Darnold No. 3. Rosen went 10th, and Jackson 32nd.
The Bills traded up to get Allen, sending the 12th, 53rd and 56th picks to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Safe to say that was a good move.
Allen went on quite the football journey, and it made him ready to grow into an NFL superstar for the Bills.
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