ESPN Ranks Ex-Cal Star Keenan Allen Among Top 10 NFL Wide Receivers

Allen was the highest rated recruit ever to sign with Cal

Keenan Allen remains Cal’s highest-rated recruit since high school prospects have been ranked, so it probably is not a surprise that he is ranked among the 10 best wide receivers in the NFL, according to an ESPN poll.

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler conducted a poll of more than 50 NFL executives, coaches, scouts, and players to find the top 10 players are various positions, so that level of expertise gives this list credibility.

Of course fantasy players are wondering how Allen will do now with someone other than Philip Rivers throwing the passes for the Chargers, as noted in a Yahoo.com story.

Here is the way the poll came out in terms of wide-receiver rankings heading into the 2020 season – assuming there is a 2020 season.

1. Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons

2. Michael Thomas, New Orleans Saints

3. DeAndre Hopkins, Arizona Cardinals

4. Odell Beckham Jr., Cleveland Browns

5. Tyreek Hill, Kansas City Chiefs

6. Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

7. Davante Adams, Green Bay Packers

8. Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers

9. Chris Godwin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

10. Amari Cooper, Dallas Cowboys

In a poll conducted with 50 NFL executives, scouts and players, ESPN ranked the top 10 wide receivers for this upcoming season. pic.twitter.com/AnAXYtAHxJ

— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) July 10, 2020

Allen may be the least publicized of these 10 wide receivers, but his numbers speak for themselves.

He has amassed over 1,000 receiving yards in four NFL seasons, and has surpassed 1,100 yards receiving in each of the past three seasons, earning Pro Bowl status in all three of those seasons.

In 2019, Allen had 104 receptions, which tied for the third-most in the league, for 1,199 yards, which were sixth in the NFL. His best season was probably 2017, when he was fourth in receptions (102) and third in receiving yards (1,393).

He will no longer have Philip Rivers throwing passes to him in 2020, however.

He was an instant star at Cal.

Allen was ranked as the No. 5 overall prospect in the class of 2010 by Rivals.com and No. 10 by 247Sports Composite. That’s the highest ranking for a player that signed with Cal since these recruiting sites were invented. Plus Allen went to high school in North Carolina, not exactly a chief recruiting area for Cal.

But things fell together nicely for Jeff Tedford when he was recruiting Allen. Allen’s half-brother, Zach Maynard, a quarterback, wanted to transfer from Buffalo, and he and Allen wanted to go to the same school. Tedford decided to give Maynard a scholarship offer, and Allen came along.

You will notice Allen is listed as a safety on most recruiting sites. That’s because safety was considered his best position in high school.

But Tedford never planned on putting Allen on defense, and had Allen working with the first-team offense from the very first preseason practice.

His best season was his sophomore year when he had 98 receptions for 1,343 yards, and Allen and Marvin Jones Jr., now with the Detroit Lions, were Cal’s starting wide receivers in 2010 and 2011.

Allen turned pro after his junior season, but surprisingly he was not taken until the third round of the 2013 NFL draft after being projected to go late in the first round or early in the second.

"I see myself doing well, definitely being a starter," Allen told CBS Sports the day he was drafted. "I want to make it a goal to be a Pro Bowl player."

Follow Jake Curtis of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jakecurtis53

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