Oregon wide receiver Devon Allen won the 110-meter hurdles at the U.S. Olympic trials on Saturday, sending him to Rio and ensuring that he’ll push football aside for at least another six weeks. But Allen may have an NFL future.
Allen says he has made no decisions about whether his long-term future will be on the football field, the track, or both.
“I think I’m going to leave those doors open as long as I can,” Allen told the Register-Guard. “I’m only 21. I’ll just keep doing as much as I can for as long as I can.”
As a freshman in 2014, Allen caught 41 passes for 684 yards and seven touchdowns, but he tore his ACL in the Rose Bowl at the end of that season. He didn’t play as much in 2015 and skipped spring football practice to focus exclusively on track. Given the injury risk of returning to the football field and his obvious talent in track, it would be understandable if he decides to make track his full-time job.
But if he does decide to play pro football, he could get selected in next year’s draft. NFL scouts will salivate when he runs at the Combine.