INDIANAPOLIS \u2014 CJ Allen made clear he is prepared for this moment in his career, even if he has decided to delay his NFL combine workout drills until Georgia\u2019s Pro Day.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m going to push everything back to my Pro Day,\u201d Allen said during his podium interview on Wednesday in the Indiana Convention Center at the NFL Combine.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s when I\u201dll be running, jumping and doing drills, so nothing (Thursday).\u201d<\/p>\n
Allen has put enough running, jumping and drilling of opposing players on tape to be projected as a potential first-round NFL pick when the draft takes place April 23-25 in Pittsburgh.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d like to say I can do it all, that\u2019s my job description, to hit people,\u201d said Allen, who started 41 games for the Bulldogs over his three-year career, finishing last season with career-highs in tackles (88), tackles-for-loss (8) and sacks (3.5).<\/p>\n
\u201cI have good size, when I hit you, you\u2019re going to feel it. I\u2019m able to generate knock-backs, especially going against offensive linemen.\u201d<\/p>\n
Allen said there\u2019s something about playing the middle linebacker position in Kirby Smart\u2019s defensive scheme with the Bulldogs, and a lineage of NFL middle linebackers before him are evidence of as much.<\/p>\n
Players like Nakobe Dean, Quay Walker, and Roquan Smith have grown into elite performers and team leaders playing the position at the NFL level.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you sign that (scholarship) paper, you know what you\u2019re signing up for, especially as an inside linebacker,\u201d said Allen, who UGA listed at 6-foot-1 and 235 pounds. \u201cIt\u2019s a different kind of commitment with the style of defense we play.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
That\u2019s where Allen\u2019s noted leadership skills, preparation and instinct kick in, and why NFL teams are so high on him as a potential first-round prospect.<\/p>\n
\u201cFirst Georgia Bulldog drafted, I\u2019m not sure he\u2019s the first, but he\u2019s my favorite, CJ Allen,\u201d said Nick Baumgardner, a senior NFL Draft analyst for The Athletic. <\/p>\n
\u201cI think he\u2019s the guy, when I hear Kirby Smart talk about him, he\u2019s the quintessential Georgia linebacker, he\u2019s also got some of the hybrid (versatility) stuff.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is the best linebacker class we\u2019ve seen in a while, he\u2019s very safe, he\u2019s my favorite guy in the (Georgia) group.\u201d<\/p>\n
Allen was immensely popular with teammates, as well, often selected as a game captain with proven leadership skills.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think I have a super power to make guys around me better on and off the field,\u201d Allen said. \u201cMe playing in the middle (of the defense) elevates guys around me, and same thing off the field.\u201d<\/p>\n
Allen credited Smart for having him ready to be a starting middle linebacker as a rookie, as his NFL draft grades suggest.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe definitely prepared me,\u201d Allen said. \u201cI prepared as as starter from Day One, no matter how deep the room was, (and) I take a lot of pride in it \u2026. I know that\u2019s the quarterback of the defense.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cOur practices, Coach Smart and Coach (Glenn) Schumann put us in uncomfortable positions,\u201d Allen said, \u201cso when we get to the games, it\u2019s nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Allen\u2019s attitude and the playing style he\u2019s put on tape is everything, so when Allen does work out at the UGA Pro Day (tentatively set for March 18), it will be all about Allen\u2019s measurables validating his abilities.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m proud of how I came into the game, into college,\u201d Allen said in what equated to the public portion of his NFL job interview.<\/p>\n
\u201cI came in with hunger and aggression and kept it throughout my whole career.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"INDIANAPOLIS \u2014 CJ Allen made clear he is prepared for this moment in his career, even if he…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":422042,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[67],"tags":[5183,2234,1976,399,681,105290,398,396,397,7702,99],"class_list":{"0":"post-490524","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-ncaa-football","8":"tag-alabama","9":"tag-championship","10":"tag-college","11":"tag-football","12":"tag-georgia","13":"tag-mercedes-benz-stadium","14":"tag-ncaa","15":"tag-ncaa-football","16":"tag-ncaafootball","17":"tag-sec","18":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/490524","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=490524"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/490524\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/422042"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=490524"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=490524"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=490524"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}