Question: Is he athletic enough for a top-20 pick?
The perfect first round picks marry production with projection. Allen, while intriguing for the Cowboys for a reason, leaves a little bit to be desired from a projection standpoint. Allen racked up 205 tackles as a middle linebacker at Georgia. He also had 13.5 tackles for loss, one interception and 10 passes defended. Those numbers are good, but not overwhelming.
His potential, often derived from athletic testing, is at the very least a mystery, too. Allen didn’t work out at the combine or his Pro Day. An ESPN report said Allen elected to only do positional drills instead of athletic testing at his pro day due to swelling from a minor meniscus operation. Allen reportedly suffered a knee injury in the middle of November.
For what it’s worth: Allen’s best asset isn’t rooted in his production or his potential. He’s known as someone who could raise the tide of an entire defense based on his football IQ and his propensity for getting his teammates properly aligned.
Still, the lack of answers on his athleticism — especially for a 6-1, 230-pound linebacker — should spark questions from the Cowboys.
Miami (FL) edge Rueben Bain and Texas A&M edge Cashius Howell
Question: Are there arms long enough?
Here’s a two for one, considering Bain and Howell have the same question about them.
We already explained earlier this week that long arms aren’t mandatory in Christian Parker’s system when it comes to defensive backs. But how about players near the line of scrimmage? Some might point to Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham as an example of Parker’s potential willingness to have a short-armed pass rusher. Graham, however, has arms just over 32 inches.
Bain has 30 7/8-inch arms, while Howell’s are even shorter at 30 1/4.
Both have other attractive abilities. Bain shows plenty of power in his pass rushing ability. Howell ran the fifth-fastest 40-yard dash at the combine among edge rushers (4.59), matching the speed he showcases on film. Both Bain and Howell could add some juice to Dallas’ pass rush, if the Cowboys deem their shorter arms aren’t an issue.
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