Draft Preview: Keenan Allen After Cal’s Pro Day

Keenan Allen finally ran the 40 yard dash yesterday. The results…Not good. Allen ran the 40 in 4.71 seconds. Compare that to Tavon Austin’s 4.34 and Cordarrelle Patterson’s 4.42, 4.71 doesn’t look good and could definitely drop Allen’s draft stock. Allen said after he ran that he still only has 75-80% explosion due to his knee injury that he has been dealing with. It is said that Allen has the ability to run a 4.5 40yard dash, and if teams still believe he can run that, they will definitely still take a chance on him in the first round.

Allen’s positives outweigh his negatives and Allen has the ability to be a playmaker on the field. At one point in time Allen was considered one of the best wide receivers in this year’s draft if not the best. Allen runs solid routes and attacks the ball. One of his best abilities is that he also has the versatility to line up in the slot or on the outside and still be effective. He’s big and physical, yet still has the ability to make the guys miss and make plays down the field. Allen has the ability to be a solid number 1 option and would be a great fit for the Rams.

However, would the Rams be willing to take Allen with this nagging injury. When healthy Allen can be a guy that can make plays, but the question that surrounds him now is, will this knee injury hold him back and nag him throughout his career.  Many experts are still comparing Allen to be a player like Anquan Boldin, which is not an insult. Allen could still go off the board in the first round, but the Rams may not take a chance on him then and would wait to see if he was still on the board at when they pick in the second round at 46, and that’s only if they don’t get a wide receiver in the first round.

When all is said and done. Allen is still a solid option for the Rams and they should definitely take a chance on him. Allen could step in right away and replace the hold at wide receiver for the Rams. Allen might have ran a 4.71 40 yard dash, but so did a special someone back in 1985 by the name of Jerry Rice.