Scout Report – Jonathan Allen

• Position: 3-4 Defensive Lineman
• Previous Team: Alabama Crimson Tide (College)
• Status: Draft Prospect

Age: 22, Height: 6’3, Weight: 291 lbs, Experience: 4 years (College)

• Average opposing offense rank: 47.2
• Average opposing pass offense rank: 57.1
• Average opposing rush offense rank: 48.3
• Scouted block shed record: 18-55-27, 41 Double Teams, 7 No Contests.
  • 17% block shed rate, 43% potential threat rate

Strengths:

• Extremely Versatile. Started his college career playing Linebacker, moved to the line, and this season played both DT and DE and alternated between left and right regularly.
• Continually chops feet, causing blocks to continually push into the pocket, creating a sense of pressure, even if he is not getting into the backfield.
• Can create a suffocating pass rush that almost demands a double block. Must be the main focus of the line otherwise he will get a sack regularly.
• Has a high motor, and continually plays until the whistle is blown, even creeping in and getting some tackles he should not have.
• Good containment, even chased down DeShaun Watson a few times in the Championship game.
• Has a fairly diverse moveset. Not going to lie, I got a smile every time this big man popped a spin to get into the backfield. You don’t see that everyday; especially from a 290 lb boulder.

Weaknesses:

• Not very effective against the run. Most of his highlights come from the pass rush.
• Can get stood up fairly easily, which is strange considering his size.
• Is slow off the snap, for the most part he will be one of the last guys off the snap.
• fast hands slow feet. Can be seen getting past the block only to stumble and fall. This was a problem against Clemson, as he fell over at least 3 separate times, which is suicide versus a scrambler.
• Takes time to utilize moveset, quick passes make Allen useless. In one instance against Western Kentucky, it took him a solid 4 seconds to successful execute a rip move, by that time the ball has long been out of the pocket.
• moves around too much on the rush, does not stay in his region, causing some unnecessary holes to open up in the line for runners to take off.

Overall:

Allen is a threat, period. If I wanted to, I could just end the overview here and my point would be made, but there are points of emphasis I wish discuss further about this guy. You’ll notice in the strengths and weaknesses section there is no mention of his effectiveness against the double team, a very important point I look at when evaluating Dlinemen. The reason for this absence is that how he does against the double team is almost redundant to what he does against single blockers. Allen is so disruptive, he almost demands a double team at all times. Case in point, Allen was double teamed more times than Garrett and Thomas combined: Combined! This is also taking into account that Allen is not an exclusive DT, and has had a number of plays lined up on or outside of the Offensive Tackle. This is a position that is normally not double teamed; yet Allen was, even on the outside rush. This alone should speak volumes about his playmaking ability, or at the very least the concern offenses have going against him. Furthermore, the resume of competition he has played against speaks volumes to his capabilities as a player. Team wise, Allen played against 4 elite Top 25 offenses (USC ranked 19, WKU ranked 2, Washington ranked 15, Clemson ranked #1). He has played against 5 Elite passing offenses (USC #25, Western Kentucky #4, Ole Miss #19, Wahington #24, Clemson #3) and 3 elite rushing teams (Kentucky #17, Mississippi State #19, Auburn #8). Allen has competed against 4 statistically elite QBs, 2 elite RBs, and 6 draft prospect Olineman (Wheeler of USC ranked 21st by NFL draft tracker, Lamp of Western Kentucky ranked 3rd, Toth of Kentucky ranked 28th, Pocic of LSU ranked 11th, Clayborn of Mississippi State ranked 61st, and Kozan of Auburn ranked 69th). Despite all of these, he has posted double digit stats in both tackle for loss and sacks. Based on size alone, it is all but guaranteed Allen will be a Defensive tackle or Nose Tackle, which could be a problem since his play against the run is fairly weak. That is where he needs to develop the most, as a DT who cannot defend against the inside run has a very short lifespan in the NFL. Going into the Draft, Allen’s greatest asset is the attention he draws to himself on blocking assignments. Even if he is not the one to get the sack or TFL, the demand for attention opens up the possibility for another to make the play. His greatest weakness is his run game. As just stated, DTs are the first line of defense against inside power runs, and if that first line is a liability, his usefulness will be questioned. Regardless, the sheer amount of versatility Allen possesses on the Dline will almost guarantee him a spot on a starting roster, either as a DT or a 3-4 DE.