Keenan Allen – Wide receiver
Height: 6’3 | Weight: 210 pounds | California | Junior
Strengths: Allen has a great combination of size and playing speed that will serve him well at the next level. He displays a quick burst out of his cuts to get separation then makes the catch with his big hands. Allen is a strong and competitive runner after the catch. He has more quickness than he does straight line speed, meaning he does not have the elite speed to consistently blow by cornerbacks but has the foot quickness to get separation fast coming out of his routes. He has good hands and body control to catch off target passes. He makes the tough catches in traffic over the middle of the field consistently when he stays focused and does not look to make a move first before securing the ball. He has very good hand-eye coordination to make catches over either shoulder on deep throws downfield. His size, strength, and toughness make him a good blocker who can eliminate his man from the play consistently. He uses his body well to shield the defender on comeback patterns and also on fade routes in the redzone. He has the playing strength to break tackles after the catch and to fight for extra yardage.
Weaknesses: Allen is not an elite speedster and has trouble eating up the cornerbacks’s cushion quickly on deep pass patterns. He does not have elite elusiveness to shake defenders in the phone booth/tight areas. When he does not concentrate and looks the ball in to his hands he will drop passes he should catch sometimes. He needs minor work on using his hands to get free of jams by the cornerback when facing man coverage.
Final Thoughts: Allen was one of the nation’s top defensive backs coming out of high school in 2009. He is a dynamic athlete and that has truly showed in the way he transitioned to wide receiver once he got to college. You can see that defensive safety mentality in his game by the way he plays with no fear of the big hit and playing strong all of the time. Allen earned First team ALL-Pac -12 honors in 2012, but had his best season in 2011 hauling in 98 receptions, 1,343 yards receiving, and caught 6 touchdowns. Overall, Allen has all of the traits to be a solid first round draft pick and future number one receiver in the NFL. He has some of the same characteristics as wide receiver’s Michael Crabtree and Justin Blackmon, but has more quickness to his game. He has never played with a solid passing quarterback and if he gets the chance to early on in his career he should produce some solid numbers.
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