IDP 20/20: Jonathan Allen

Doug Green Posted On March 2, 2017

Welcome to the IDP 20/20 series. Alongside our offensive Dynasty Scouts coverage, we will also be profiling and providing 20 facts you must know about 15 of the top incoming IDP rookies in the class.

1.) Name: Jonathan Allen

2.) College: Alabama

3.) Height/Weight: 6-foot-3, 291 pounds

4.) Birth Date: January 15, 1995 (22-years-old)

5.) Class: Senior

6.) College Stats: 2016 totals: 69 total tackles, 16 tackles for loss, 10.5 sacks, 3 fumble recoveries, 1 blocked kick

7.) NFL Draft Round Projection – Early first round, likely Top 10 selection.

8.) Current NFL Comp: Aaron Donald. Allen is actually a little bigger (Donald is listed ato 6-foot-0, 284 pounds) than the Rams superstar but their games are similar. Both can push the pocket from the inside or the outside and both can play multiple positions up and down the line.

9.) Best possible landing spot: As a Bears fan, I’d like to see him go at No. 3 overall, but I actually think Jacksonville at No. 4 might be a better fit. He could slide in right next to Malik Jackson and Dante Fowler to push the line while freeing up young star linebackers Myles Jack and Telvin Smith.

10.) Worst possible landing spot: No way he lasts that long, but one spot that might not be advantageous to Allen would be landing with Denver. The Broncos have a deep defensive line, which means Allen would probably be a rotational player early on.

11.) Best current skill: His motor. For all his talent, strength, and speed, it’s his desire that really stands out. Allen never takes plays off and is constantly chasing plays down on the back side.

12.) Skill that needs improved: Coverage? I know I’m stretching here, but Allen is pretty complete. The one thing I noted is when he played end, he never stood up or dropped into coverage, so if a 3-4 team decided to take him as an outside linebacker for some crazy reason, he would probably struggle in pass defense.

13.) Projected dynasty value: His value might fluctuate a little depending on if he is drafted as an end or tackle. If he is drafted as an end, as I have evaluated him, he should be the second man DE off the board after Myles Garrett. If he’s selected as a DT, his value drops some. Though in DT-premium leagues I would still feel good about drafting him. He has plenty of sack potential and performs well enough in the running game to hold his own.

14.) With friends like these: One good thing about playing at Alabama is that you leave NFL ready. The downside to that as talent evaluators, is because there is so much NFL talent on the field with any given prospect. Sometimes while watching Allen it was difficult to discern if he didn’t make a play because he couldn’t get there, or because one of his teammates already had.

15.) Driving angry: Allen is one mean hombre on the football field and is rarely overpowered and almost never backs down. There is plenty of film of him driving offensive lineman straight into the quarterback.

16.) Awards: Won the 2016 Chuck Bednarik and Bronco Nagurski Award as the nation’s top defender on the nation’s top defense this season. He repeated as first-team All-SEC.

17.) Work it baby: It has been reported that Allen will do every drill at this weekend’s NFL combine with the exception of the bench press, which he will perform at Alabama’s pro day.

18.) Turning down mama: This story is a fascinating reason why Allen selected Nick Saban and Alabama.

19.) Playing games: And when he’s not hunting quarterbacks, he’s playing virtual reality games.

20.) See for yourself: Highlights