HOUSTON – Georgia star linebacker C.J. Allen displayed his trademark speed again this week, and that he’s made a full recovery from a knee injury.
Allen ran the 40-yard dash in 4.47 seconds this week after playing through a meniscus and medial collateral issue in his left knee suffered against Texas that required minor surgery, missing just one game and returning less than two weeks later to play against Georgia Tech.
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Allen has concentrated on his training rather than doing visits. After meeting formally with the Texans at the NFL scouting combine, he has met virtually with their staff this spring along with the Philadelphia Eagles, Buffalo Bills and Seahawks.
Allen is regarded as a potential first-round draft pick, praised for his talent, athleticism, toughness and character as a team captain and green dot as the defensive signal caller for the Bulldogs.
“He’s a machine,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said of Allen. “He erases things.”
Allen (6-foot-1, 230 pounds) was a first-team All-American and first-team All-Southeastern Conference selection and was a finalist for the Butkus award.
He led the team with 88 tackles, eight for losses and recorded 3 1/2 sacks with two forced fumbles.
Two seasons ago, Allen had 76 tackles, three for losses and four pass breakups.
Allen is a former high school running back who rushed for 1,628 yards and 26 touchdowns with 84 tackles and a sack on defense.
The Barnesville, Georgia native was named to the All-American Bowl.
He played immediately as a true freshman and was named as a freshman All-SEC selection.
“He’s intentional with everything that he does and he kind o prepared from the first moment he stepped in here,” Georgia defensive coordinator Glenn Schumann said. “Very intentional about what he wanted to accomplish. And I know there’s still things out there that he wants to accomplish. Maturity, focus, serious intentional work on areas he’s had to get better at and just his overall leadership ability to affect others, I would venture to say that he’s universally respected across the the team.”
Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com