Mr. Charisma will bring his football skills and social media presence to Pittsburgh as the Steelers drafted Marcus Allen 148th overall in the fifth round of the NFL Draft on Saturday.
Allen finished his Penn State career 181 solo tackles and 320 total stops as he became one of the most consistent and hard-hitting safeties in the Big Ten.
While not expected to start during his freshman season, Allen would be thrown into the spotlight in place of an injured Ryan Keiser during the Nittany Lions’ eventual double-overtime loss to Ohio State in 2014. He would go on to make 11 tackles in that game.
Two years later his block of a late Ohio State field goal would lead to Grant Haley’s scoop-and-score that set up Penn State’s upset over the then No. 2 ranked Buckeyes.
In 2016 his 57 solo tackles ranked ninth best in the Big Ten. His 320 stop is 16th best in a career for any Big Ten player.
Allen brings with him not just football savvy but a personality as well. Flashing a wide smile and a fearless personality, Allen became as well known for his locker room dance videos following games as he did his in-game hits.
It remains to be seen how that particular trait translates to the next level. Allen was the fifth Nittany Lion to be drafted so far this week, with corner Christian Campbell becoming the sixth when he was picked later by the Arizona Cardinals in the sixth round.
With Troy Apke selected earlier in the day, Penn State has now had more than one defensive back drafted in the same weekend for the first time since 2006, when Calvin Lowry, Alan Zemaitis and converted receiver Ethan Kilmer were picked.
