2007 NFL Draft: Michael Allan Not To Be Sold Short

By Jeremy White, NFLHS.com

Of all the players looking to enter the NFL for the 2007-08 season, Michael Allan is probably the unlikeliest of prospects.

His body didn't bloom until he was in college - which meant no big-time colleges recruited him out of high school. He ended up at NCAA Division III Whitworth, where he quickly became the most prolific tight end in the school's history.

In high school, Allan was 6-foot-4 and weighed 190 pounds. That's not small by any means, but he certainly didn't weigh enough to be an effective Division I tight end and he couldn't play wide receiver in college (though he was a wide out, not a tight end, in high school) because he was too slow.

He hit a growth spurt at Whitworth, though, and now he stands 6-foot-6 and weighs 255 pounds. He can run the 40-yard dash in 4.6 seconds - a major improvement over the 5.0 time he recorded in high school.

"My body really matured when I got to college," Allan explains. "I thought about transferring, but I loved it where I was and I realized that if I put up the numbers I could still get a chance to play in the NFL."

What in the world made Allan think such a thing? Wouldn't he have been better off playing at Washington State, one of the schools to which he could have transferred?

Maybe. Or maybe not. Whitworth, ranked high in Division III football, propelled Doug Long into the NFL in the 1970s. He spent three years with the Seattle Seahawks after being a Division III All-American, so it wouldn't be unprecedented for Allan to make the leap. And he put up the numbers - in bunches.

In 2005, he totaled 36 receptions for 693 yards and 15 touchdowns (a school record). Last year, he caught 53 passes for 1,100 yards (an average of 20.8 yards per reception) and nine scores. The performance earned him All-American honors and brought NFL scouts pouring into Spokane, Washington, where Whitworth is located.

"I know I have to prove myself, but Division III is not as small as a lot of people think," Allan says. "I know I can run fast and jump high. There are a lot of phenomenal athletes in Division III and Division II that shouldn't be sold short."

Allan said though he always dreamed of playing professional football, it didn't seem like much of a reality to him until he noticed scouts milling around at practice.

"After my junior year some scouts came out to time me and watch me, and that's when I realized I could probably get a chance to play," Allan says.

Though he's known as a pass catcher, Allan says blocking is something he takes pride in as well.

"I caught 53 passes my senior year, but I've also done a lot of run blocking," he says. "That's something I'm still improving on."

If a professional football career doesn't pan out, Allan - who graduated with a degree in journalism - says he'll stay involved in sports in a different way.

"I love to write," he says. "I wouldn't mind sports writing."

Story courtesy Red Line Editorial, Inc.