Eagles Wide Receiver Nearly Sets World Record On The Track
Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Devon Allen is fast. Really fast. He proved this once again on Sunday, as he came hundredths of a second away from setting a new world record.
Allen, a 27-year-old rookie who signed with Philly earlier this offseason, has been away from football since 2016 when he ended his college football career at Oregon to focus on track. Before we dig into his accomplishments from earlier this week, let’s get a quick refresher on who Allen is, and how he ended up and Eagle:
Who Is Devon Allen
Allen, at 6’0″ and 185 lbs., had shown immense potential on the football field as a freshman in 2014, in which he recorded 41 receptions for 684 yards at a solid 16.7 yards per catch, along with seven touchdowns.
He looked like an exciting deep threat with NFL potential before knee injuries derailed his college career. He appeared in only nine more games over the following two seasons, recording only 13 catches, 234 yards, and one more touchdown between 2015 and 2016. At that point, Allen stepped away from the pigskin to play it safe and preserve his knees for track and field.
Fast forward to 2022, and he opted to appear at Oregon’s pro day in April, where he caught the attention of NFL scouts with an outstanding 4.35-second 40-yard dash. The Eagles opted to sign Allen to a three-year deal as an undrafted free agent in April of this year.
However, before Allen reports to camp and kicks off his career in professional football, he clearly has some unfinished business on the track. Let’s take a look at the incredible accomplishment Allen achieved on Sunday:
He Just Keeps Getting Faster
Allen won the 110-meter hurdles at the USATF NYC Grand Prix on Sunday as reported by ESPN. He smashed his own personal best time while recording the third-fastest time for the event in history. He finished the race in 12.84 seconds, .22 seconds faster than the second-place finisher Grant Holloway (13.06) and just four-hundredths of a second slower than the all-time world record, set by Aries Merrit in 2012 in Belgium at a Diamond League event.
Allen seems to have only gotten faster since his fourth-place finish in the previous Olympics (13.21) and his fifth-place finish in 2016 (13.31).
Looking Ahead
Eagles fans will have the opportunity to see their new wide receiver dominate on a larger stage this summer, as he plans to participate in the upcoming USA Track & Field Outdoor Championships (this month) and World Athletic Championships in July. Exciting for sure, but not nearly as exciting as it will be to see his blazing speed in an Eagles’ uniform afterward.
Will Allen’s incredible speed transfer to the football field at the professional level, having been away from the game for more than half a decade? We’ll have to wait and see, but it will be fun to watch.