KC Star article on Michael Allan

[Direckshun]

Sure, it might just be the "I've been drafted" glow, but it's not hard to see why Herm liked the guy.

Didn't see this posted. Neg rep me at will.

http://www.kansascity.com/160/story/109092.html

Big fish in small pond jumps into sea

Tight end Michael Allan, a star at Division III, is eager to show what he can do with the Chiefs in the NFL.

By JASON KING
The Kansas City Star

Chiefs tight end Michael Allan has a quick response for those wondering why he opted to play college ball at Division III Whitworth.

“You should’ve seen me in high school,” Allan chuckled. “It’s not like I had many options.”

Indeed, the 6-foot-6, 254-pound Allan may look imposing these days. But five years ago he marched across the graduation stage at Interlake High School in Bellevue, Wash., weighing just 190.

Upon arriving at Whitworth, Allan needed five full seconds to plod through the 40-yard dash. After a year he even considered quitting football and transferring to nearby Washington State.

“I was just an awkward 18-year-old,” Allan said. “It was a process, but I finally grew into my body.”

The Chiefs are glad he did.

Allan last month became the first Division III player drafted since 2003 when Kansas City selected him with the 231st overall pick. The honor came after a banner college career in which Allan snared 118 passes for 2,202 yards and a school-record 29 touchdowns.

He spent last weekend trying to prove to Chiefs coaches that their decision to draft him in the seventh round was a good one.

“I came out here and did my best,” Allan said at the conclusion of the team’s rookie minicamp. “We all had our ups and downs, and everybody came out a little rusty. But I really think I turned it on (near the end of camp). I hope I made an impression on them.”

Even if Allan did, he’ll still be hard-pressed to earn much playing time at tight end.

Tony Gonzalez is a future Hall of Famer, and backups Kris Wilson and Jason Dunn are veterans who have proved more than capable in the past.

“That’s something I thought about when they drafted me,” said Allan, the only Division III player invited to the NFL combine.

“But I’m just excited for the opportunity to be here and get on some special teams and learn from those guys. Maybe if any of them move on I’ll get a shot. The nice thing about the Chiefs organization is that they usually draft and develop, rather than draft and cut.”

If Allan did make the team he’d certainly be viewed as a success story back at Whitworth, where he’s the first player since 1972 to be drafted.

Allan said the largest home crowd he ever played in front of was 3,500. Chiefs coach Herm Edwards joked that Allan probably had to line the field before games.

Still, as small as the school may have been — about 2,200 students — Allan couldn’t speak more highly of his alma mater. He said he has no regrets about staying at Whitworth for five years.

“I had a lot of fun there,” he said. “I wish we had a little more press coverage or TV coverage — the fun parts of college football. But I had a blast playing there. I had some good friends and had a great time.”

Allan said he gained about 25 pounds during his first year at Whitworth and about 10 or 15 every season after that.

Allan began commanding the attention of NFL scouts after receiving first-team All-American honors as a junior in 2005. The next season he caught 53 passes for 1,100 yards, causing his stock to grow even more.

“The nice thing about Whitworth was that they spread me out,” said Allan, who said he runs about a 4.6 in the 40. “We did a lot of five-wide (receiver formations), and I was always on the field. I was one of the primary options in our offense.

“It also helped that we had a fantastic quarterback: Joel Clark. He was a fantastic athlete, and he knew how to find receivers. He could really move, which helped the tight end. He was a four-year starter, so he kind of came into his own at the same time I did.”

Allan is hoping that trend continues during the next few months and throughout training camp. As much as he’s playing for himself and a spot on the Chiefs’ roster, Allan also thinks he’s representing something much bigger.

“I feel like I’m representing all of Division III,” he said. “There are a lot of phenomenal athletes out there that didn’t get their shot at D-I, so now they’re down there trying to make it in D-III schools all around the nation. They shouldn’t be sold short.”

[luv]

Okay. I've seen you post on other threads that you were really unhappy with this draft pick. Are you being swayed to think otherwise?

[RealSNR]

Five years?

I wonder what his Wonderlic score was...

[Direckshun]

Originally Posted by luv

Okay. I've seen you post on other threads that you were really unhappy with this draft pick. Are you being swayed to think otherwise?

I was/am really unhappy with this draft pick. You don't draft people from Division III, ever, unless you're a special kind of football genius.

I respect Herm as a coach, and support the movement he's enacting on the Chiefs. But I do not yet believe he's that special kind of football genius.

That said, Allan sounds like a great kid. There's a bit of the "I got drafted" glow there, sure, but he was able to call out his former teammates by name, and feels a philosophical responsibility that I can appreciate.

But he put up his numbers in an extremely non-pro style offense that favors the TE to catch a lot of balls. He put up his numbers against linebackers that weigh 50 pounds less than pros, and much, MUCH slower.

Love his size. Love his speed. Apparently he's got good hands and good agility. Love 'em both. But it's not going to matter one lick if he's the NFL equivolent of a toddler.

But hey, if you're going to take a wild ass gamble, might as well take it in the 7th. I just pray Herm's the special kind of football genius.

[RealSNR]

Originally Posted by Direckshun

I was/am really unhappy with this draft pick. You don't draft people from Division III, ever, unless you're a special kind of football genius.

I respect Herm as a coach, and support the movement he's enacting on the Chiefs. But I do not yet believe he's that special kind of football genius.

That said, Allan sounds like a great kid. There's a bit of the "I got drafted" glow there, sure, but he was able to call out his former teammates by name, and feels a philosophical responsibility that I can appreciate.

But he put up his numbers in an extremely non-pro style offense that favors the TE to catch a lot of balls. He put up his numbers against linebackers that weigh 50 pounds less than pros, and much, MUCH slower.

Love his size. Love his speed. Apparently he's got good hands and good agility. Love 'em both. But it's not going to matter one lick if he's the NFL equivolent of a toddler.

But hey, if you're going to take a wild ass gamble, might as well take it in the 7th. I just pray Herm's the special kind of football genius.

Easy there. It's not like we did anything like trade Trent Green to draft this guy in the 7th...

[luv]

Originally Posted by Direckshun

I was/am really unhappy with this draft pick. You don't draft people from Division III, ever, unless you're a special kind of football genius.

I respect Herm as a coach, and support the movement he's enacting on the Chiefs. But I do not yet believe he's that special kind of football genius.

That said, Allan sounds like a great kid. There's a bit of the "I got drafted" glow there, sure, but he was able to call out his former teammates by name, and feels a philosophical responsibility that I can appreciate.

But he put up his numbers in an extremely non-pro style offense that favors the TE to catch a lot of balls. He put up his numbers against linebackers that weigh 50 pounds less than pros, and much, MUCH slower.

Love his size. Love his speed. Apparently he's got good hands and good agility. Love 'em both. But it's not going to matter one lick if he's the NFL equivolent of a toddler.

But hey, if you're going to take a wild ass gamble, might as well take it in the 7th. I just pray Herm's the special kind of football genius.

We could have just as easily picked him up as an undrafted free agent. What's the difference in drafting him in the seventh as opposed to anyone else you think will be a UFA? True that you shouldn't make a habit of drafting people just to have them for special teams though, right?

[Smed1065]

I have to agree because I feel we could have still signed him after the draft. The odds were favoring it since 2003 was the last D-III player drafted.

[Direckshun]

Originally Posted by SNR

Easy there. It's not like we did anything like trade Trent Green to draft this guy in the 7th...

Right. I'm not calling it a gargantuan error, because it was a mid-7th.

But I do think it's an error to bet on a Div III player to produce in the NFL. I think it's an even bigger error to waste a draft pick on one, albeit not that big of a mistake if it's a 7th.

[CosmicPal]

Originally Posted by smed1065

I have to agree because I feel we could have still signed him after the draft. The odds were favoring it since 2003 was the last D-III player drafted.

As soon as the draft is over, the teams start calling all of the players they want as free agents. The Chiefs themselves have quite a crew. Everyone, including the coaches, are making calls. They have a list of who they want and everyone is calling someone to encourage them to become a Chief before another team snatches them up.

With that in mind, the Chiefs were probably concerned he'd be picked up immediately by another team before they could get him in free agency. Gone are the days when the draft was in the double-digit rounds. Some free agents today would've been later round draft picks in the past.

I agree with the sentiment that he could've been picked up in the undrafted free agency market, but I would bet the Chiefs didn't trust he'd be available.

[Direckshun]

Originally Posted by luv

We could have just as easily picked him up as an undrafted free agent. What's the difference in drafting him in the seventh as opposed to anyone else you think will be a UFA? True that you shouldn't make a habit of drafting people just to have them for special teams though, right?

Right, you don't draft people for special teams. A pro football team is loaded with enough athleticism to fill two separate special team units, so nobody in the NFL's really starved for special teams unit talent to the point of drafting for that particular use.

That's a good question you ask, though. I don't know if there is a serious difference between drafting 7th and signing UDFAs. But I don't think pro teams should ever waste their time on Div III players, period.

I just don't think there's a place in the NFL for Division III players. The odds are astronomically small, and it's a waste of time to give it a shot.

If Allan proves to be a player, I will eat every word I've ever said about the guy. He seems like a great dude, and I'd love the Chiefs to make history by digging this guy up. I can't make myself believe it, though, no matter how hard I try.

[RealSNR]

By the way, Ryan Hoag was the last DIII player to be drafted. Went to Gustavus Adolphus College in Minnesota and I actually know his family. Too bad he was drafted by the Raiders

[Direckshun]

Wasn't he Mr. Irrelevant?

[Smed1065]

Originally Posted by CosmicPal

As soon as the draft is over, the teams start calling all of the players they want as free agents. The Chiefs themselves have quite a crew. Everyone, including the coaches, are making calls. They have a list of who they want and everyone is calling someone to encourage them to become a Chief before another team snatches them up.

With that in mind, the Chiefs were probably concerned he'd be picked up immediately by another team before they could get him in free agency. Gone are the days when the draft was in the double-digit rounds. Some free agents today would've been later round draft picks in the past.

I agree with the sentiment that he could've been picked up in the undrafted free agency market, but I would bet the Chiefs didn't trust he'd be available.

I agree with you as well but if they were that high on him, I feel they should have already had those pieces in place in case he was not drafted and made a call when the draft had ended. I am no draft guru by any means so I do not know who they could have picked instead, if anyone.