The New Orleans Saints addressed some major needs in the 2016 NFL Draft, but they found Michigan State center Jack Allen after. Can he make the team?
The New Orleans Saints swung a huge trade last offseason to acquire Max Unger from the Seattle Seahawks, but they made a much more low profile move this year to get Michigan State center Jack Allen as an undrafted free agent.
Allen was a two-time All-American at Michigan State (USA Today) and was named a first-team All-American in 2015 by the AP, Sports Illustrated, and CBS Sports. He was twice a Rimington Award finalist, which is given to the best center in the nation. He was a two-time All-Big Ten performer and a four-year starter for one of the most prestigious programs in America.
So why in the world was he undrafted?
Allen checks in at 6-1, and just about 295 pounds with 32 1/4″ arms. He doesn’t have the ideal measurables athletically and teams question whether or not his arm length is going to be a major issue moving on to the next level.
Despite his size issues, most scouts believed he can eventually become a starting center in the NFL, which the Saints wouldn’t complain about. In terms of his pure accomplishments at the highest level of college football, Allen deserved to be drafted no later than the fourth or fifth round. His size dictates plenty of the reason for his fall out of the draft, but someone like this who started four years at the Michigan State program deserved to be picked, and he’s going to make teams wish they hadn’t passed.
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Some already are penciling him in as the backup center in New Orleans, which isn’t out of the question. He’s lauded for his toughness and tenacity, especially over the course of a game. He doesn’t relent. Jack Allen’s effort is consistent and both his technique and intelligence as a player can’t be questioned.
Will he prove his athletic ability isn’t going to be as big of an issue as his undrafted status suggests? Sometimes great football players just stay that way, and Allen feels like a player who can carve out a really long NFL career as a starter.
Even if it’s not in New Orleans, I feel like this is a guy who does have starting potential in the NFL. For now, though, the Saints found themselves a nice gem in the undrafted free agent pool. This guy is going to come in and work hard, and make everyone else on the interior offensive line work that much harder to keep their job.