Birds Fill Need With S Nate Allen
With The 5th Pick in The 2nd Round Eagles Select Nate Allen. This Was The Pick That Was Acquired From Washington For Mcnabb. Click More To Read About Nate Allen
Via CBSsportsline.com
"The Golden Child," as some of Allen's teammates have called him, has the genes and physical style NFL teams like in their free safeties. Allen's father played professional basketball in Europe, while his athletic exploits as a high school quarterback and basketball player brought many recruiters to his door.
Allen stepped into the spotlight with a huge sophomore season in 2007, making 84 tackles, intercepting four passes, breaking up eight others and leading the Bulls onto the national scene when they beat 17th-ranked Auburn. Allen won the Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week Award for his performance in that game (forced and recovered fumbles, interception). His statistics were down in '08 (53 tackles, one interception), but as a senior he returned to his playmaking form (85 tackles, four interceptions) in a second-team All-Big East season.
The ability to attack the line of scrimmage, make plays in deep coverag, and track down running backs from behind makes scouts take note in the film room. Speed, versatility, intelligence and toughness? Sounds like a NFL starter in the making.
