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NFL Eagle Olympian?

 

The list of Olympians in the NFL is pretty long (40).  There are degrees of success and failure in that list, from Jim Hines (a Miami Dolphin receiver in 1969 who’s nickname was “Ooops,” and was ranked the 10th worst NFL player of all time by Deadspin writer Jeff Pearlman), to, arguably the most successful NFL Olympian… running back Herschel Walker (lost 3 NFL seasons to the USFL, where he was a monster) who subsequently had over 13,000 yards running and receiving over 12 NFL seasons, with 84 TD’s.

The Eagles have had a few of those 40 Olympians as players… Sam Francis was an Olympic shot putter and then the first pick by the Eagles in the 1937 draft, although his rights were traded to the Bears.  Sam played 4 years as a running back before serving in WW2, Korea and Vietnam, retiring as a lieutenant colonel.  Clyde Scott was an Olympic medalist as a hurdler and was the 8th pick by the Eagles in the ’48 draft.  Clyde appeared on 2 Championship teams of that era (for the Eagles and then the Lions), and was a receiving halfback whose career was cut short by a knee injury.  TJ Jackson was a National Collegiate 100 meter champion that represented the US in the ’64 Olympics.  Although drafted by the ST. Louis baseball Cardinals in ’66, Jackson chose to play as a wide receiver in the NFL, first for the Eagles, then for the Redskins (now Commanders).

Yesterday, the Eagles signed wideout Devon Allen, a 3-time national champion in the 110 hurdles, and an Olympian in 2016 and 2020 (delayed to 2021).  He will compete in the June, 2022 Track and Field outdoor championships and the World Athletic Championships in July.  Allen then intends to retire from Track and Field at the ripe age of 27 to turn his attention to football. 

Devon Allen played 3 seasons as an Oregon Duck wide receiver.  He last played in 2016, although his best season was 2 years earlier when he caught 41-684-7 before suffering a torn right ACL in that years Rose Bowl.   He tore his other ACL in 2016, and the 2 injuries limited his 2015 and 2016 football to 9 games over 2 years.  Coming back as an eventual Olympian, in the 2021 Olympics he just missed the medal, finishing 4th in the hurdles, and at the close of the 2021 (Track and Field) season, he became only the 13th American ever to break the 13 second barrier in the 110 hurdles. 

Allen had a good Pro Day at Oregon recently, running a sub 4.4 40, getting a 34.5 inch vertical and had good times in both the 3-cone and 20 yard shuttle.  He also caught passes for scouts.  Howie and the staff liked what they saw and signed Allen, expecting him to compete initially as part of the 90 man roster.  He is 6’, 191 lbs.

The Good:

  • Skill: Obvious speed and hops… world class at both- you cannot teach these skills
  • Rookie Experience: As a RFA, he adds to his natural skills Division 1 college experience with Oregon
  • Stages: Experience in performing on the world’s biggest stage (Olympic Summer Games)
  • World Class Athlete: Twice (2016, 2021) representing U.S. as a hurdler, both times finishing in the top 5 of the world.
  • Age: At 27 he is in is physical prime
  • Cost: If things go well he’s signed to an inexpensive 3-year standard undrafted rookie FA deal
  • Potential: NFL Roster spots don't grow on trees… The Eagles are intrigued enough to bring him onboard
  • Commitment: “I would consider myself talented enough to play in the NFL… I’ve been doing football stuff for about the last six weeks. It’s like riding a bike… I don’t really feel much different than I did in 2014… It’s now or never because I don’t want to get too old…”

The Bad:

  • Huge Gap: Has not played football in 6 years
  • Special Teamer? His kick return experience, an area he’d be expected to contribute, is limited to 8 kick returns as a freshman (26.1 average in 2019). 
  • Injury History: Already has had 2 ACL tears playing football
  • Appears smaller, not muscular

The Ugly:

  • Desperation? Appears he needs to beat out Greg Ward or JJ Arcega Whiteside?  Or Jalen Raegor?
  • Special Teamer? Can he learn to return punts too?
  • Prior Failure: Eagles selected Olympic skier Jeremy Bloom in round 5 of the 2006 NFL draft.  He never got beyond the NFL preseason in 3 attempts, 2 in Philly and 1 in Pittsburgh. 
  • Recent Failure: Last time the Eagles invested in a player of this ilk (DeAndre Carter, 2018), he made it, but was waived 11/6 of that year (needing his roster spot temporarily & hoping to grab him back) and he latched on with the Texans.  He was 1 of 7 players to return a 2022 kick for a TD... But not for the Eagles. 

Eagles Lesson: The success with Mailata suggests taking low risk gambles like this can be worth while.  Expect this to be a 2 year project.  If he does not pan out, he’ll be let go.  If he has some success, a depth wideout will have value if he can contribute on Special Teams with a low cost, multi-year Rookie Free Agent contract. 

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