Each week this offseason, we’ll be focusing on one position and how the Panthers may choose to address their needs; whether they’re in the market for an upgrade at starter or just a reliable backup, every player on the 53-man roster is going to be important in 2018.
This is Safety Week.
As opposed to selecting a plug-and-play free safety like Justin Reid, the Panthers could take a different path in the 2018 draft, adding a developmental prospect during the middle rounds who they could bring on during the season while starting Mike Adams and Da’Norris Searcy at the two safety spots to open the season. While this is probably not the ideal outcome for most Panthers fans, or the front office for that matter, it is probably preferable to reaching on a safety just because they have a chance of starting from Week One. With that in mind, one player the Panthers could target towards the end of the second day is Penn State’s Marcus Allen.
Run Defense
Marcus Allen has largely made his name as a run defender at Penn State, and the ability to act as a box run defender will almost certainly translate to the NFL level (For reference, Allen wears #2):
While Allen isn’t a straight line burner, or the biggest safety any scout has ever seen, he does show enough speed to pursue effectively to the ball and demonstrates nice tackling technique on tape. On the following play, he used his hands well to parry the ball carriers stiff-arm and gets inside his frame in order to bring him to the ground:
What he does do with great consistency is get low on ball carriers and usually wraps up well in order to prevent missed tackles. What he needs to be careful of, however, is using this tactic in situations where it isn’t totally appropriate. On the following play for instance, the ball carrier has lost most of his momentum and could likely have been stop short had Allen gone higher, but by flying in low, he allows the touchdown.
Allen also showed generally good gap discipline, often being in the box to cover an inside gap. He does, however, make occasional mistakes, such as on this play where he goes to the outside gap already filled by the blitzer and in so doing allows a long gain through the inside cutback lane. However, it is hard to make an assumption on whether it was Allen or another defender’s missed gap on this play; the long gainer remains no matter who missed their assignment.
He also paid for his lack of physicality at times, as he could occasionally get caught on blocks:
While he is unlikely to add significant strength, even with time, this is something that could be improved by better hand usage, allowing him to keep blockers away from his frame. One final concern, was that on the few occasions he was used as a deep run defender, some of the angles he took to the ball were somewhat questionable. This might be largely due to small sample sizes, but is another thing for any team looking to draft him to be aware of.
On the whole, Allen’s athleticism and willingness to get involved as a box defender made him an effective run defender in college, and this also allowed him to be effective as an underneath coverage defender on plays such as the following where he could be effective as a see-ball-get-ball defender.
However, in order to be seen as a valuable player in the NFL, Allen will need to improve as a coverage safety, which is what will likely limit how early he is able to get on the field.
Next Up: Pass Coverage
