Former Alabama DE Jonathan Allen will reportedly meet with two NFL teams holding Top 5 picks
Published:
Judging by the meetings reportedly being set up during the pre-draft process, don’t be surprised when defensive lineman Jonathan Allen is the first former Alabama player selected in the upcoming NFL draft.
According to Matt Zenitz of AL.com, Allen has meetings planned with the Chicago Bears and the Jacksonville Jaguars leading up to the 2017 NFL Draft. Those meetings should give a solid indication of the hype surrounding Allen heading into the draft, as the Bears currently own the No. 3 overall selection and the Jaguars own the No. 4 overall pick.
While some have questioned the status of Allen’s surgically-repaired shoulders leading up to the draft, NFL Insider Ian Rapoport spoke to Alabama team doctor Lyle Cain, the physician whom actually performed the surgeries on Allen’s shoulders, and the surgeon said “There’s nothing functionally wrong” with Allen’s shoulders following both procedures. It should be noted that while Allen has had procedures done on both shoulders, he consistently performed as one of college football’s top defenders last season coming off the surgeries.
Expect every team at the top of the draft board to do their due diligence on the former Alabama lineman, but barring an unexpected event occurring leading up to the draft, Allen will most assuredly hear his name called near the very top of the first round of the upcoming draft.
A graduate of the University of Tennessee, Michael Wayne Bratton oversees the news coverage for Saturday Down South. Michael previously worked for FOX Sports and NFL.com
