Keenan Allen-The Daily Ledger

Keenan Alexander Allen (born April 27, 1992) is an American football wide receiver for the Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at California before leaving after his junior year. He was selected by the then San Diego Chargers with the 12th pick in the third round, (76th overall) of the 2013 NFL Draft. Allen won multiple rookie honors after setting Chargers' records for receptions and receiving yards by a rookie. In 2017, he was named the NFL Comeback Player of the Year.

Early years

Allen attended Grimsley Senior High School and then Northern Guilford High School in Greensboro, North Carolina, where he played football, basketball, and ran track. In football, he was a standout on both sides of the ball for the Nighthawks football team. He was a 2009 high school All-American, selected by USA Today and Parade, and also played in U.S. Army All-American Bowl, returning one punt for 33 yards as well as one kickoff also for 33 yards.

Keenan Allen

In track & field, Allen was a state qualifier in the long jump (top-jump of 7.01 meters). As a senior, he competed in sprints. He took 24th in the 400-meter dash event at the 2010 PTFCA State Meet, with a time of 51.60 seconds. He also competed in the 100-meter dash, recording a personal-best time of 11.2 seconds. In addition, he was also timed at 4.56 seconds in the 40-yard dash.

Keenan Allen

Allen was regarded as a five-star recruit by Rivals.com and Scout.com, and was widely considered the top defensive back in the nation. Allen initially committed to the University of Alabama to play safety, but switched his commitment to the University of California, Berkeley in order to play wide receiver and play with his half brother, Zach Maynard.

Keenan Allen

College career

Allen attended the University of California, Berkeley, where he started at wide receiver for the California Golden Bears football team from 2010 to 2012. As a freshman in the 2010 season, he had 46 receptions for 490 yards and five touchdowns. As a sophomore in the 2011 season, Allen had a career-high 98 catches for 1,343 yards. As a junior in the 2012 season, he had 61 receptions for 737 yards and six touchdowns. He left Cal after his junior season having caught a school-record 205 passes, for 2,570 yards (third in school history) and 25 touchdowns (seventh).

Collegiate statistics

Professional career

Due to a posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) sprain he sustained during the 2012 season, Allen did not work out at the NFL Scouting Combine, but did run routes at Cal's Pro Day. Keenan Allen was described by draft pundits as one of the best receivers in the 2013 NFL draft, estimating that he would be picked in the latter half of the first round.

On April 9, 2013, Allen attended his own pro day, where he showed his route-running skills and catching abilities to numerous scouts and reporters. Due to the aforementioned PCL sprain, he was not at peak performance, leading to a 4.71-second time in the 40-yard dash. Allen noted that he was only at 80% health on the pro day. This led to a drop in his projected draft position.

Allen was selected in the third round, 76th overall, by the San Diego Chargers in the 2013 NFL Draft, though the team already had solid depth at the wide receiver position. He was the highest selected wide receiver from Cal since DeSean Jackson in 2008. Allen had been on General Manager Tom Telesco's radar for a while. In 2011, Telesco attended Cal’s game against USC at San Francisco’s AT&T Park where Allen enjoyed one of the most prolific days of his career that evening, catching a career-best 13 passes for 160 yards.