A tight end from Whitworth College in Spokane, WA, Michael Allan began his Combine experience in Indianapolis this week, measuring in at 6-foot-6, 255 pounds.
Allan played at Interlake High School in Bellevue, WA and came to
Whitworth as a 6-foot-4, 190-pound WR who ran a "flat-five forty" so he
wasn’t highly recruited. He got a few looks from very small schools.
Training with lower division schools in the summer, as well as using
Whitworth's strength training program, he increased his weight by 15-20 pounds
each year since he came to Whitworth.
He thought about transferring to Washington State at one time
to get more NFL looks, but loved Whitworth too much to do it. And while he never stopped having faith that he would get an invitation to the Combine, he had to admit he was surprised when he actually got it.
Allan recognized the significance of the opportunity not just for him, but for all Division III schools as well.
He told the media in Indianapolis that he's been running 4.6 forty-times consistently and he’s looking to repeat that performance here.
Allan isn't worrying about competition at the next level, as he held his own in a
very strong week of practice at the East-West Shrine Game. More a pass-catching tight end than a blocker, Whitworth worked out of a lot of five-wide sets. But he stressed that the offense at Whitworth was a 50/50 run/pass based attack, so he’s gotten plenty of experience at his position with run-blocking as well.
play.
A journalism major, he will be interning with a Spokane radio station for final credits before graduation.
Allan said he has spoken to every team informally already. And has told each and every one of them that his biggest adjustment from Division III to the NFL is going to be the
speed of the game and the complexity of the calls. However, he’s very confident that he'll be able to overcome that obstacle with hard work and
faith - the traits that have brought him this far.
He trained in New Jersey at a professional facility for the Combine, will be
doing a full work-out for scouts, coaches, and GMs, and hopes to make a lasting
impression on all of them.
He will also be doing a post-Combine diary for Seahawks.NET.