Lost in the excitement of Cal's hiring of Sonny Dykes as the new head coach was receiver Keenan Allen's announcement that he was calling his college career done and heading to the NFL. The slight attention that this announcement received wasn't entirely due to Cal bringing in a new coach on the same day. It was also due to it not really being a surprise. Similar decisions by Aaron Rodgers, Marshawn Lynch, DeSean Jackson and Shane Vereen had a little suspense. Actually, that Vereen decision was a bit of a surprise. There was no suspense with Allen's decision. He came to Berkeley because Cal was offering his brother, Zach Maynard, a scholarship and the quarterback gig. No other school on Allen's radar did. Maynard played his last season at Cal and as a result so did Keenan Allen. Even beyond that little family dynamic it was pretty obvious from his first college game that Allen would soon be ready for the NFL. He is and he decided to make that move now.
Keenan Allen is a terrific, game changing football player. I've really enjoyed watching him play for Cal. With the ball in his hands, he runs more like a running back than receiver. Part of that is his willingness for contact. Receivers usually shy away from it. They hit the turf or run out of bounds. Allen will bull forward to get more yards. In that respect, he resembles a taller version of Minnesota Vikings receiver Percy Harvin. The running ability of Allen, while one of his greatest strengths, brings about his biggest problem. Sometimes he forgets to catch the ball. His game breaking running causes him to forget that catching the ball is only half the play. Sometimes he runs before he's made the catch. Nearly all of his drops come from this. He has excellent hands. He makes difficult catches look routine. He will occasionally have a drop because he's looking to run too soon. Allen certainly isn't alone with this problem. Every single person that has ever caught a football has probably at one time looked to run before the catch. Well, Baltimore Colts Hall of Fame receiver Raymond Berry probably never did. Allen has to realize that no run after the catch is possible without the catch. The other thing that could hurt Allen might come up at the Scouting Combine. I'm real curious to see his 40-yard time. He doesn't look fast on the football field. That could be due to his running being so smooth, so easy. He seems to glide. All this speed stuff could just be me. Last year, Marvin Jones, Allen's receiving team mate at Cal, ran a sub-4.5 at the Combine. I would have guessed that he'd run around a 4.6. I'm pretty sure that Allen is faster than Jones. I'm sure that Keenan Allen will run a better 40 than I think. I'm sure that he'll be a first round pick. With the Minnesota Vikings incredible need at receiver, he's a player that they have to seriously consider. I wouldn't mind seeing Keenan Allen going from Cal to the Minnesota Vikings.
Thanks for the Cal years Keenan Allen. A little short but they were fun.
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