What a great example of creative thinking!
The Eagles announced on Friday that they had signed wide receiver Devon Allen, who had previously put football on hold to train for the Olympics.
Eagles Sign Olympian Devon Allen After Oregon Pro Day Performance
Allen, now 27, hasn’t played college football since the 2016 season, but he made waves at the school’s pro day. On Thursday, he visited with the Eagles, and by Friday, he had signed with the team.
In his words, “it’s now or never because I don’t want to get too old,” Allen stated at last week’s pro day, as reported on the Eagles’ website. “I don’t plan to wait until I’m 30 or 31 to try out for the NFL. Even though there is still a significant talent gap between the collegiate level and the NFL, I believe that I was talented enough to play in the NFL while I was in college.”
Allen Won Three Consecutive U.S. National Titles
Allen, who stands at 6 feet tall and 198 pounds, has won three consecutive U.S. national titles in the 110-meter hurdles and has competed for the United States at the Olympics in both 2016 in Rio de Janeiro and 2020 in Tokyo. In Rio, he placed fifth (13.31), and in Tokyo, he placed fourth (13.14).
While he had a bad year in 2015 and 2016, Allen’s finest collegiate football season was in 2014, when he caught 41 catches for 684 yards and 7 touchdowns. He had a career college average of 17.0 yards per reception.
Allen ran the 40-yard dash in 4.35 seconds at Oregon’s pro day a week earlier, though that time was unofficial.
According to Oregon Live, Allen commented, “To be honest, I knew I was going to go fast.” Since this is my profession, I assumed I would be able to run quickly even if I don’t spend much time on the 40. They probably did as well; they probably didn’t think the track person would be that slow. Having a quick time recorded is a plus.
Allen also stated to Oregon Live that he will be competing in the next USA Track & Field Outdoor Championships in June as well as the World Athletics Championships in Eugene in July. When that’s done, it’s time to report to training camp.
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