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The Skinny
Penn State’s Marcus Allen is departs the program after having started 46 games over the past four seasons.
Allen is just one of six players in Penn State history to record 300-career tackles and was a major contributor for the Nittany Lions since the day he stepped on campus.
He earned multiple All-Freshman team honors from outlets after his maiden season and then earned All Big-Ten honors throughout the next three.
In his career as a Nittany Lion, Allen wasn’t wasn’t known for defending the pass. Over his four seasons, he recorded just 11 pass deflections and had to wait till his senior season for his first interception.
What he did exceptionally well, though, was get into the backfield, whether it was to sack a quarterback or stop the run.
Allen finished his career with three sacks and 17 tackles for a loss.
A big hitter, Allen doesn’t shy away from contact, forcing five fumbles in his career. He finished his career with 321 career tackles which puts him fifth all-time in Penn State history.
What You’re Getting
Foremost, the thing you’re getting in Allen is someone who will light up your team’s locker room.
Allen is known for his charisma and “good vibes” demeanor, but back to Allen’s abilities on the field.
On the field, you’re not going to get a premier ball hawk in the secondary who is going to come down with interceptions all the time. His pass coverage is average at best which may make him a situational safety at the next level.
As mentioned above, Penn State used him quite often in blitz packages and schemes which allowed him to use his speed to get into the backfield and stop the ball carrier for a loss.
Allen recorded a 4.5 40-yard dash during his time at Penn State Allen. He does, however, sometimes struggle to play under control and will overrun a tackle or get beat by a cut due to his limited ability to move laterally as pointed out in his NFL Draft profile.
He was at one point considered a potential first-round pick, but his weaknesses have pushed him back to a late second to the fourth round or even fifth round depending on how teams feel about him on draft day.
That being said, if Allen lands in the right situation, he has the skills to grow into either a great situational safety/linebacker hybrid or even a starter at the next level.