Allen certainly appears plenty com-
fortable with where he’s at right now.
His journey from New Jersey
to Alabama, back to Jersey, and
then Kentucky has been one of tre-
mendous growth on the field, and
remarkable maturation off of it.
How does an unknown player
who switched from wide receiver
to defensive end in his senior year
of high school go from having one
scholarship offer to becoming a
coveted NFL prospect?
From two stars as a college recruit
to the doorstep of professional foot-
ball, Allen has never struggled to find
motivation to prove this is exactly
where he belongs.
“I carry that two-star chip with
me [on my shoulder] for a very long
time, from [back then] until now,”
Allen says. “I just worked extremely
hard; the birth of my son [in January
2018] really hit home for me. He’s
my biggest motivation.’’
Allen got stronger with his hands,
so he no longer relied solely on his
speed to cause disruption in the back-
field. Gone is the player dependent
on too much finesse and not enough
substance, replaced by a relentless
playmaker whose game can benefit
from more polish and fine-tuning,
and not an overhaul.
Florida offensive tackle and now
Jaguars teammate Juwaan Taylor calls
Allen the best player he faced all
season, adding, “He was an all-
around great player.”
Allen’s production at Kentucky
spoke for itself: 17 sacks, 21.5 tack-
les for loss, a team-high 88 tackles
and five forced fumbles, giving him
11 over the past three years.
In high school, he led Montclair
to the NJSIAA North 1, Group 5
title as a senior. Before Allen, the
highest Montclair graduate drafted
by the NFL was Jeff Mills, who was
selected by the San Diego Chargers
in the third round of the 1990 draft.
Mills played five seasons, finishing his
career with the New York Giants in
1994.
Allen collected a bevy of post-
season college awards, including the
HONORED Allen poses with the Chuck Bednarik Award after being named college football’s top
defensive player of the year on Dec. 6, 2018.
Ronnie Lott IMPACT Award, which
is representative of football acu-
men and service to others. IMPACT
stands for integrity, maturity, perfor-
mance, academics, community and
tenacity, and one of the perks for
the recipient is getting the chance to
meet Lott, the Pro Football Hall of
Famer and 49ers legend who presents
the award.
Allen jokes that, out of respect for
Lott, he had to Google him to find
out more about his accomplishments.
The 21-year-old was born in 1997,
and Lott, a four-time Super Bowl
champion, had already been retired
for two years.
“It’s a special award, defensive
player award for character, show-
ing all the traits,” Allen says. “I was
honored, just being with a Hall of
Famer, one of the best players of his
generation, and just learning from
him, the advice he gave me. It was
just a humbling experience and I’m
thankful for it.”
During the on-field festivities at
the Combine, Allen posted a time of
4.63 in the 40-yard dash – a blazing
speed for someone his size (6-foot-4
and 7/8, 262 pounds).
A reporter asked Allen to which
NFL players he would compare his
game. His answer: the Broncos’ Von
Miller and the Chicago Bears’ Khalil
Mack.
“I think I’m the best player in the
draft,” Allen says. “I believe that. I
think every guy here should believe
that, and if a team doesn’t believe
that” — he pauses for effect before
adding with a smirk — “I’ll see them
during the season.’’ ■
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