As a receiver, Keenan Allen, the Junior from California, is more of a possession style of receiver who excels at short and intermediate routes but is lacking a bit in the deep game. Allen is a very crisp route runner, though he does not seem to manipulate the secondary as well as you’d like. Allen cuts quickly to come in and out of breaks and is thus very capable at creating separation on slants and comebacks from both the slot and outside. Allen has a knack for finding space between defenders in zone coverage and took pressure off his quarterback to make pinpoint timing passes. Where Allen falls short is as a consistent deep threat; though he can occasionally get behind the secondary for big gains, he does not have the acceleration or a convincing double move to make it a normal occurrence. Allen also does not appear to possess a complete route tree as corner and post routes run by Allen are few and far between.
Hands
Allen has extremely sure hands, rarely dropping catchable balls and catching it with his hands away from his body consistently. Allen is particularly good at catching the ball in traffic as he uses he large frame to shield out defenders and keep their hands away from the ball, in a few instances catching the ball with a defender literally draped over him. Allen also is good at going up and getting the ball, timing his jump to catch the ball at the very top of his jump radius. Allen is good after the catch; though he doesn’t have the quickest feet and isn’t the shiftiest athlete, he can make quick and powerful cuts and posses a graceful spin that makes him hard to bring down. Allen also seems to have a good sense for where the first down marker is and will ratchet up his effort to squeeze out an extra yard if it leads to a first down.
Blocking
As a blocker, Allen is okay but not great. Though there are times where Allen can latch onto an opponent and drive them out of the play, but he does not appear to be a particularly willing blocker and will at times avoid contact altogether when it can be helped. Though he is often compared to Anquan Boldin, this is where the comparison ceases to be valid.
Overall Impressions
Overall, I would grade Allen as a mid-second round pick. Allen is very good at what he does, which is to say play the short and intermediate game and get first downs, but he does not possess the overall game or deep threat capability I’d like to see from a receiver for whom a first round pick will be invested. That being said, I can certainly see him going higher than the second round to a team which either values, or desperately needs, the brand of football Allen brings to the table.
Other Prospect Film Reviews: S Matt Elam | DT Sylvester Williams | DE Datone Jones | DT Jesse Williams, Alabama | DT Johnathan Hankins, Ohio State | DT Brandon Williams, Missouri Southern | C Travis Frederick, Wisconsin | C Brian Schwenke, California | WR DeAndre Hopkins
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