With the 37th pick in the 2010 BGN Draft, Team Serbia selects...
Nate Allen - FS, South Florida
Having passed on Earl Thomas (for reasons still unclear), the Eagles choose to solidify their second most glaring need on the defensive side. But, before I begin my analysis, let’s take a look at how our free safeties played out this past year.
Macho Harris: 527 snaps, 28 tackles, 1 missed tackle, 76.9% catch rate, 15.1 yards/catch, 1 TD against, 140.2QB rating against
Sean Jones: 561 snaps, 34 tackles, 6 missed tackles, 76.5% catch rate, 13.8 yards/catch, 3 td against, 109.3QB rating against
So, let me sum it up for you, our safety play was complete garbage. I know there are a few Macho fans in house, but he is no good. The Sean Jones experiment (if you can even call it that) was a complete bust. In a combined 1088 snaps, our safeties had 62 tackles, 4 tds scored against, and a QB rating of over 120. Three out of every four throws towards our FS, teams would complete a 14 yard pass. This is unacceptable. We were spoiled the last decade at this position, and damn right I hold high standards. Now, on to the analysis.
More after the jump...
Nate Allen comes in and automatically improves our FS position 10 fold, and hopefully takes Macho off the field forever. Allen stands at 6ft-1/2" and weights 207lbs. This is solid size for a FS. He ran a 4.5 40 time which is a bit slower than I would like it but the kid has great instincts and takes good angles, which make him play a lot faster on the field. Reading scouting reports, and watching some of his tape, Allen is very tough, physical and can be relied upon to make a tackle. This will be very important since our best tackler in the secondary got traded, and Asante isn't exactly He-Man out there on the field.
From a coverage standpoint, Nate Allen does a great job. He excels playing in zone coverage, showing strong technique and an ability to close fast. He makes plays and seems to always be around the ball. In his 3 years of starting (39 games), he has racked up 222 tackles, 12 passes defended, and 9 INT's. Comparing this to our two current princesses, I will make an analogy. In terms of coverage (compared to each other), Allen is to Megan Fox, while Harris/Jones are to Jocelyn Wildenstein. That is all.
That being said, there have been questions about his ability to play man coverage against some of the quicker receivers. This is where the lack of elite speed is most visible. But I feel his instincts and good angles can make up for it, just as they did for Sheldon Brown. Another big plus about Allen is that he's been a three year starter at South Florida and was racked up enough experience that it feels as though his transition to the NFL will be smooth. He will also be under the guidance of one of the best secondary coaches in Dick Jauron, and has the potentially to become a top flight NFL safety. I've also read reports that would indicate that he is a good leader.
Anyways, to wrap it up, Nate Allen will be a welcomed asset to the Eagles organization. He automatically addresses a big need we have in the secondary. While CB is personally a bigger need, but with the top 5 prospects gone, I feel that any other CB here would be a reach. We will find value later in the draft. I think Allen's impact will be noticeable, and the middle of secondary won't be abused as much. Plus it gets Macho off the field. Win-Win-Win.
Next on the clock will be Talon Talent with the Cleveland Browns.
Previous picks: #1 Ndamukong Suh, #2 Russell Okung, #3 Gerald McCoy, #4 Sam Bradford, #5 Eric Berry, #6 Trent Williams, #7 Jimmy Clausen, #8 Bruce Campbell, #9 Bryan Bulaga, #10 Derrick Morgan, #11 Rolando McClain, #12 Sergio Kindle, #13 Joe Haden, #14 C.J. Spiller, #15 Mike Iupati, #16 Jason Pierre-Paul, #17 Anthony Davis, #18 Kyle Wilson, #19 Brandon Graham, #20 Dan Williams, #21 Dez Bryant, #22 Tim Tebow, #23 Charles Brown, #24 Sean Weatherspoon, #25 Earl Thomas, #26 Terrence Cody, #27 Maurkice Pouncey, #28 Ryan Matthews, #29 Jared Odrick, #30 Patrick Robinson, #31 Devin McCourty, #32 Jerry Hughes, #33 Demaryius Thomas, #34 Taylor Mays, #35 Kareem Jackson, #36 Golden Tate