Brian Allen, C, Michigan State: 2018 NFL Draft Scouting Report
Where will the lineman with NFL genes land in the 2018 NFL Draft?
Brian Allen, a 2014 four-star recruit, started 37 of 50 career games for Michigan State. He started 16 games at center, 16 at left guard and five at right guard. He’s played for one head coach and two co-offensive coordinators during his college career. He was named second-team all-Big Ten in each of his final three seasons.
Brian is one of three brothers to play on the offensive line for the Spartans. His older brother Jack was a four-year starter from 2012-2015, and younger brother Matt will be entering his redshirt sophomore season in 2018. He possesses adequate size and length on a stocky frame with solid athletic ability. He participated in the East-West Shrine Game.
Age: 22 (October 11, 1995)
Measurables
Height: 6’1” 1/8
Weight: 300 lbs.
Arms: 31-5/8”
Hand: 8-6/8”
Games Watched
2017: Iowa, Michigan, Penn State, Washington State
Michigan State Spartans Football
2016: Notre Dame
Strengths
As a pass blocker, Brian Allen possesses good instincts as he is aware of where his quarterback is at all times and displays solid patience waiting for the defender to attack as a result of good mental processing skills. He demonstrates a solid initial punch before placing his hands under the defender’s pads. Once engaged, he plays loose while staying on his toes to maintain leverage. He utilizes good functional strength to hold his ground and prevent pass rushers from collapsing the pocket.
In the run game, Allen displays good body position as he keeps his arms and knees bent at impact. He uses a strong lower body to fuel blocks and drive defenders off the line of scrimmage. Solid posture throughout the block allows him to maintain leverage.
Allen does some of his best work on the move. As seen in the play below against Michigan, he pulls from his center position and is tasked with blocking the defensive end to the right of the formation. Allen does a very good job of finding the defender on the move and gets under the defender’s pads, taking him for a ride downfield until the running back is able to burst through the hole for a big gain.
Allen displays good play speed as he climbs to the second level of the defense when targeting linebackers. He’s a physically tough lineman who will aggressively finish off a defender whenever possible, whether it’s before or through the whistle. This mean streak and very good competitive toughness comes from his days as a high school wrestler. Allen won a gold, silver and two bronze medals at the state finals in Illinois.
The following play against Penn State shows how this experience translates over to the football field. On this play, Allen is responsible for blocking defensive tackle Parker Cothren, a teammate of his at the East-West Shrine Game. Allen gets under Cothren’s shoulder pad and turns him away from the play before throwing him to the ground like a rag doll. Realizing the play isn’t over, Allen takes off downfield and launches himself into a linebacker, delivering a devastating shoulder tackle.
Weaknesses
Brian Allen is slow off the snap as he lacks the explosiveness to set up quickly. He’ll drop his head at impact, causing him to lose sight of defenders. That’s exactly what happens on this play from the Holiday Bowl against Washington State. Allen and the right guard double the nose tackle on the play, with Allen’s head dropping as impact is made. With his head down, Allen completely misses the middle linebacker blitzing through the A gap. With a free rusher bearing down on him, the quarterback has to throw the ball early and is unable to avoid being hit.
As is the case in the passing game, Allen is also slow to come off the ball in the run game. This comes into play in short-yardage situations as defenses load the box and when Allen is matched up with some of the more athletic defensive tackles in the Big Ten. Both instances occurred on this play as Iowa has eight players along the line of scrimmage and all 11 defenders within four yards. Nathan Bazata (#99) is lined up across from Allen and gets a solid jump off the snap. Bazata stays low and is able to get his shoulder into Allen’s chest. He drives the center back, closing the running lane and forcing a turnover of downs.
Along with a slow get off, Allen’s short arms and adequate hand speed allows defenders to initiate contact and gain control. He initially displays marginal hand placement, landing his first strike outside the defender’s chest before moving his hands inside. He struggles to fight through traffic when pulling or climbing to the second level and doesn’t possess the speed or agility to recover in time to stay in front of the play.
Overall
Overall, Brian Allen is a backup center at the next level who wins with competitive toughness and play strength. He’s not someone who is quick enough off the snap to protect the quarterback against athletic interior rushers. Based on his skill set, Allen is best suited for a zone blocking scheme where he can move around and utilize angles to setup his blocks.
Despite playing all three interior offensive line positions at Michigan State, Allen’s size and short arms will keep him at center. The NFL typically shies away from linemen his size, so it will be an uphill climb for Allen to be selected in the 2018 NFL Draft.
Next: Ronald Jones, RB, USC: 2018 NFL Draft Scouting Report
One thing going in his favor is that he compares favorably to former TCU center Joey Hunt. Hunt was a sixth-round pick of the Seattle Seahawks in the 2016 NFL Draft. The Seahawks offensive line coach at the time, Tom Cable, has had success with undersized, more mobile linemen. Cable is now on Jon Gruden’s Oakland Raiders staff. With three picks in the final two rounds of the 2018 NFL Draft, Allen would be an ideal developmental project for Cable in his second stint with the silver and black.