Zach Allen Would Solidify Skins Identity & Make The Sole Strength Of The Team Outstanding

Zach Allen, DL
School: Boston College | Conference: ACC
College Experience: Senior | Age: 21
Height / Weight: 6-4 / 281 lbs
Projected Draft Status: 2nd Round
NFL Comparison: Supersized Ryan Kerrigan

College Statistics

Player Overview

Zach Allen was originally committed to Northwestern before he pulled his commitment and switched to Boston College because he wanted to play closer to home. The 3-star prospect from New Caanan, Connecticut received offers from Yale, Princeton, Cornell, and Harvard just to name the Ivy Leagues so it should be no surprise that he received academic honors at Boston College every year of his college career. On the field Allen has played every position on the defensive line. After playing primarily special teams his freshman year he set impressive benchmarks from himself his sophomore year. His junior year he did what few defensive linemen have ever done and legitimized himself as a NFL prospect when he was able to hit the 100 tackle threshold. This past season he showed what a pass rushing force he is while showing off he well-rounded he is in defending the run and creating turnovers. The big knock on Allen was that many doubted his athleticism. He showed at the Combine that it should not be much of a concern overall though he may fit best in certain schemes. He is considered a borderline 1st round prospect.

Strengths

• Good size, length, and athleticism for a defensive end prospect.
• Plays in a disciplined and measured way. Aware of whats happening on the play. Rarely gets moved off his spot or takes himself out of plays with erratic movements. Strong at establishing contain on his side of the line. As a pass rusher he can generate a lot of power from his lower body to help collapse the pocket. Can dip his shoulder underneath the offensive tackle to help beat him and turn the corner to pursue uses length to bring guys down.
• Hands are always active in the passing lane and he can disrupt the vision and accuracy of the QB as well as cause some deflections.
• Played everywhere on the defensive line.
• Consistent and high effort player.

Weaknesses

• Agility and quickness don’t pass the eye test. Like our own Ryan Kerrigan this guy could be a pro bowler but may never quite hit the next level because of athletic limitations. Really tight and stiff in his lower body.
• Has tweener size. Likely a better fit as a 4-3 base end but without the twitch. Can fit in a 3-4 base but will have size concerns.
• Needs to improve functional strength because of the above.

Let’s see his work:

More Zach Allen videos

How He Would Fit On The Redskins

Ryan Kerrigan and Supersized Ryan Kerrigan ought to make for an interesting dynamic in the Redskins front 7. A lot of things point to Allen becoming a good player especially over time. He is fundamentally sound. He doesn’t have to come off the field in passing downs. He’s a smart and active player. While I can see him playing strong side defensive end here with exception to Jonathan Allen the current Redskins DL starters all came into the league with better measured functional strength than Z Allen. The bench press is certainly no foolproof indicator of the strength of a player but you can see after watching Allen how much more effective he would be if this area was improved. Size might have also been a concern a few years ago but at 281 he is 5 lbs lighter than Jon Allen. I think Zach could make that work out. He plays with a really good football IQ and could come in and contribute to the rotation immediately. His abilities would certainly help the Redskins contain in the run game and he does bring a valuable dynamic as a pass rusher as well. While it certainly would rub some people the wrong way to spend another top pick on this position group the fact is that they are the identity of the team and quite frankly their ability to remain healthy and fresh will determine the overall success of the defense. Jon Allen and Daron Payne both played at least 75% of the snaps last year on defense only two other pairs of teammates did that last year (Suh and Donald | Myles Garrett and Ogunjobi re: Football Outsiders). Other team defenses simply swap out their guys more frequently than the Skins do (no doubt offensive success plays a role as well). Another investment in the DL would only strengthen what is the identity and key deciding factor in team success.