This North Carolina Tar Heels star has landed himself an exciting NFL Draft prediction.
The North Carolina Tar Heels certainly will not be putting a whole lot of talent into the NFL this year. In fact, it's entirely possible that only one of their players gets selected in the NFL Draft next month.
But that one player could be one of the more intriguing Day 3 names available.
Cornerback Marcus Allen is generally viewed as a mid-to-late round pick and could even be considered a potential sleeper thanks to his solid size (6-foot-2) and his decent production on the collegiate level.
In his recent seven-round mock draft, ESPN's Matt Miller has Allen going to the Kansas City Chiefs in the fifth round (169th overall pick), a rather exciting landing spot for Allen for a couple of different reasons.
First of all, even though the Chiefs went just 6-11 this past season, they are perennial Super Bowl contenders so long as Patrick Mahomes is under center. Yes, Mahomes is recovering from a serious knee injury, but he could be back as soon as Week 1.
Second, Kansas City traded away star cornerback Trent McDuffie and also lost fellow corner Jaylen Watson to free agency, so a massive opportunity has opened up in the Chiefs' defensive backfield.
North Carolina Tar Heels cornerback Marcus Allen. Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images.Kansas City did add safety Alohi Gilman, but the Chiefs have not added anyone of significance at the cornerback position, meaning a player like Allen would have a chance to receive legitimate playing time right off the bat.
Allen spent four seasons at North Carolina, earning a significant role as soon as his sophomore campaign when he registered 49 tackles, a sack and eight passes defended.
This past year, the Marietta, Ga. native finished with 36 tackles, a couple of tackles for loss and eight passes defended.
Allen ran a 4.50 in the 40-yard dash at the Scouting Combine and logged a 5.89 overall prospect grade from NFL.com, generally indicating that he projects to be a backup on the professional level.
But remember: Watson himself was a seventh-round pick of Kansas City in 2022 before developing into a critical part of the Chiefs' secondary.
Perhaps Allen could forge a similar role for Andy Reid's club.
Tar Heels Roundtable also offers a fan community and message board. We’d love to have you join us to talk all things North Carolina Tar Heels. Click the “Join” button at the top of the page to join our community for free.