STRONG POINTS

Allen is a very good athlete with rare size for such an athlete. He has long arms and very good hips, so he can jolt the receiver with a hard punch and can also flip hips and turn and run with receiver off the line of scrimmage. He has the foot quickness and agility to plant, drive and close quickly on passes in front of him when he plays over his feet. He has shown the ability to reach in front of a receiver to break up the pass when he closes consistently. Allen is a tough and aggressive player that consistently attacks running plays, and he is a very good tackler who does not hesitate to deliver hard hits.

WEAKNESSES

Allen's injured hip is the biggest question concerning his future as a damaged hip can limit a cornerback forever. His footwork/backpedal is raw and it really hinders his ability to consistently transition out of the backpedal well and it really shows up in his struggles vs. out routes. Instead of a straight backpedal, he has a tendency to use a side-pedal and it leads to him getting turned around by sharp routes. He is not consistently aggressive with hands in press coverage and allows the receiver to release inside too easily when he does not punch. Even when he closes quickly and is in good position, he often allows the catch and does not reach in front to break up the pass. When he gets a chance at an interception, he does not consistently make the tough catch.

POSITIONAL FACTORS

Grade Category Comments/Description 6.0 Read & React Has very good instincts, but struggles to consistently react quickly due to raw footwork. 6.0 M/M Off When he is transitioning quickly, he is very good in Off coverage, but just is not consistent. 6.5 M/M Tight He stays right on the receiver's hip -- can turn and run easily and doesn't hesitate to keep a hand on the receiver. 6.5 Zone Coverage Reads the quarterback and pass quickly, closes fast and makes hard hits right after the catch. Has ability to break up passes. 6.0 Break & Close Not as consistent as he is capable of because of raw footwork and side-pedal. 6.5 Hips/Turn Ability Has very good hips to turn and run without losing a step and can change directions quickly. 7.0 Tackling For a cornerback he is an excellent tackler -- bends knees, sinks hips and tackles with good technique. null Hands - Interception On the few chances he had, he did not looked consistently comfortable making the interception. 6.5 Hands - Fight Blocker He takes on and defeats blockers surprisingly well and finds a way to get to the ball carrier. 6.5 Deep Speed He has very good deep speed to run with any receiver on deep routes. NA Return Ability He did not return punts or kickoffs in the games that were graded. 5.5 Errors Allen does not use good technique consistently, which hinders his ability to consistently transition and close.

ATHLETIC ABILITY	Section Grade: 6.5
Allen is a very good athlete and that is the major reason he was able to be so productive as both a safety and cornerback during his career at Tennessee. He has very quick feet, and when combined with his hips, he can flip hips and turn and run with the receiver without losing a step. He accelerates to full speed quickly and has the playing speed to stay on the receiver's hip deep down the field. Despite having raw footwork/backpedal, his foot quickness and agility enable him to transition out of the backpedal, change directions quickly and close quickly on out routes. He has excellent flexibility for a cornerback -- smooth hips to turn and run and can bend knees to tackle with very good technique. His coordination combines with his body control to let him adjust and tackle well out in space. The only concern is that Allen has not shown the hands to make the tough interception consistently.
Q.A.B. Quick Feet C.O.D. Flexibility Coordination 6.5 6.5 6.0 7.0 6.5

COMPETITIVENESS	Section Grade: 6.5
Allen is an extremely tough cornerback who has consistently shown a willingness to come up and tackle aggressively in run support and will jolt and play physical in press coverage. He has consistently shown the ability to make the big play when it mattered most mainly because he consistently plays aggressively and physically. Allen's overall production at Tennessee was very good, but his play at cornerback is still developing and is inconsistent. As a junior he led the SEC in tackles from his free safety alignment and was leading Tennessee in tackles in 2005 before he was injured in the game against Georgia. His play at cornerback has not been as consistent as possible because of his raw footwork and side-pedal. He is without question a team player who plays with very good effort on every snap and never quits fighting and competing to make tackles and plays.
Toughness Clutch Play Production Consistency Team Player Pride/Quit 7.0 7.0 6.5 6.0 6.5 6.5

MENTAL ALERTNESS	Section Grade: 5.5
Allen is no doubt a smart young man when you consider that he has already graduated from Tennessee, but it is a concern that his footwork is very raw and that he does not use his hands consistently well in press coverage. He has very good instincts but does not consistently react and transition out of the backpedal to close quickly on passes in front of him. He consistently maintains his concentration in run support, but needs to stay focused a little better in man-to-man coverage, where he does not consistently use hands aggressively in press coverage and gets turned around by good fakes at times.
Learn/Retain Instincts/Reactions Concentration 6.0 5.5 6.0

STRENGTH/EXPLOSION	Section Grade: 6.5
Allen has excellent size for a cornerback at 6-foot-1 and over 200 pounds and has the long arms to re-direct or re-route receiver. While Allen had been a very durable football player until his senior season, he injured his hip vs. Georgia. Until he proves he is 100 percent recovered from it, his NFL durability is a question mark. He is a naturally explosive athlete that can close explosively on the pass when he is transitioning well, and he has an explosive closing burst chasing after running backs in backside pursuit. He has excellent playing strength for a cornerback -- when he is aggressive with his hands, he can jolt the receiver backwards and can be a strong and physical tackler vs. big running backs.
Body Type Durability Explosion Play Strength 7.0 5.0 6.5 7.0