Colts draft LB C.J. Allen - Round 2, Pick 53

[Kray007]

Originally Posted by YDFL Commish

LOL! I'll take a LB who struggles a little in man coverage vs our previous LB, who wasn't in the same zip code, when in zone coverage.

A lot of people are freaking out over the fact that one analyst suggested that his closest comp is to Zaire Franklin. Frankly, I don’t get the pearl clutching. Zaire was a helluva player, he was a legit pro bowler.

To me, the place that the comparison to Franklin becomes tenuous is that Allen is just better. Better speed, better instincts, better nasty. He has a nose for the ball and makes plays in the hole. He’s smart, he’s a true field general, he diagnoses, gets everyone on the right page, and makes everyone around him just a little bit better.

He doesn’t excel in coverage, but you can scheme around that, especially if Jaylon Carlies recovers and plays up to the potential he showed in 2024.

To me, if I had to pick a comp, I’d go back to Mike Singletsry. Singletary didn’t have great coverage skills, but he excelled at diagnosing and being in thebright place.