The Pacific Northwest is featuring two of the premier small college players in the nation, and they are tight ends. With teams placing more emphasis in the passing game at the position, Allan and Western Oregon's Kevin Boss have drawn considerable attention from professional scouts for their all-around game.

Despite a lack of top-level competition, Allan not only dominated his opponents on a weekly basis, but also fared quite well in postseason all-star games, making a lot of NFL offensive coordinators take notice. Even though he played four seasons at Whitworth, he saw limited action as a freshman, not catching any passes. But he made up for lost time the last three years and closed out his career as the school's record holder for yards gained per catch (18.7 avg) and career touchdown receptions (29).

Allan attended Interlake High School, where he was a receiver in a wing-T offense that rarely threw the ball. The team finished his senior season with a 0-9 record, causing Allan to not be recruited by any of the major colleges for football. He was more recognized for his basketball skills and could have attended a major university on a hoops scholarship, but had his heart set on playing football.

He enrolled at Whitworth in 2002, spending the season on the scout team as a wide receiver at 213 pounds. Allan grew out of that position and shifted to tight end in 2003, but saw just limited action in seven games. He appeared strictly on special teams and did not catch any passes.

In 2004, Allan earned All-Northwest Conference honors after taking over starting tight end duties, as he would go on to start his next 29 contests. He finished third on the team with 29 receptions for 409 yards (14.1 avg) and five touchdowns. He earned AFCA All-American honors in 2005, as Allan led the conference with a 19.2-yard average on 36 catches for 693 yards in eight games. He also set the school single-season record with 15 touchdown receptions.

Allan was again named All-American by the AFCA in 2006, along with receiving his third consecutive All-NWC honor. He hauled in a career-high 53 passes and became the second player in school history to gain more than 1,000 yards receiving (1,100) in a season. He also had nine scoring grabs.

Allan started 29 of 36 games at Whitworth. He caught 118 passes for 2,202 yards (18.7 avg) with a school career record 29 touchdowns. He scored 174 points and also recorded three tackles (two solos) on special teams.

Positives: Has a tall, adequately muscled frame that is reaching maximum growth potential, but shows good arm length and adequate lower body thickness … Knows how to use his frame to shield defenders from the ball, and while he lacks quick twitch moves he builds to top speed nicely and has the balance and body control to flex out as a receiver in some passing situations … Shows better urgency going for the ball than as a blocker, but readily adjusts to defensive formations to locate the soft area in the zone … Shows good arm extension and toughness going up for the ball in traffic … Has solid swim moves off the line of scrimmage to escape the jam … Uses his power efficiently to disengage from defenders and is aware of the ball in flight while running his patterns … Not a sudden mover off the line, but gets into his routes nicely once he beats the press … Has the functional short-area quickness to separate underneath and makes proper body adjustments coming back for the off-target tosses … Has the arm length (33½-inches) and soft hands to go along with decent leaping agility to attack the ball at its high point … Has deceptive speed to gobble up the cushion, but is more effective getting open in the zone than vs. man coverage … Efficient target inside the red zone, using his long arms and stride to excel on crossing routes … Natural hands catcher who has the ability to pluck and adjust to off-target throws … Bit of a long strider, but gets downfield and excels at making the over-the-shoulder grabs … Uses his functional leg drive to break tackles (but has not been challenged by the physical defenders to gauge if he can do so vs. better competition) … Does a good job of securing the ball and bracing for the hit after the catch … Has the overall body flexibility to catch the high or low throws with ease of movement … More of a space occupier as a blocker, but knows how to drop his weight and keep his pads low to anchor and get in the way of the action … Shows good concentration skills looking the ball in … Runs hard after the catch and is alert to open areas when operating in traffic.

Negatives: Never really challenged at this low level of competition … Lacks that sudden burst off the snap, relying on swim moves to escape the press … Still has to greatly improve his blocking skills as he's only a marginal blocker who does nothing more than get in the way rather than overpower … Lacks the initial quickness to come off the snap with explosion … Needs room to operate in order to get into his routes … Takes a lot of soft angle cuts (used mostly on crossing routes) and needs to develop better moves (lacks hip snap) trying to escape in man coverage … Bit high-cut and this prevents him from sinking his pads and anchoring well against the bull rush … Used mostly on crossing, controlled and streak routes, lacking the explosive burst to get to the deep throws … Needs to improve his upper body strength and hand placement, as he can be pushed back into the pocket in pass protection … Needs to show more aggression (not a contact seeker, preferring to avoid rather than engage) … Lacks good plant-and-drive agility to come out of his breaks cleanly … Must improve his hand punch and play with his head up when firing off the snap.

Compares To: Matt Schobel, Philadelphia -- Allan shows promise, a decent-sized frame and willingness to improve, but is far from a finished product. He is a decent short-to-intermediate receiver, but needs to get more aggressive vs. the physical press he will face at the next level. Despite his size, he is a marginal blocker who must improve his overall strength. He brings good value as a third-down receiver working underneath, but needs route running refinement, as he rounds his cuts too often.

1998: Suffered a concussion (October) during his high school freshman year.

1999: Bothered by a partial meniscus tear in his knee during high school.

2000: Suffered a broken finger as a junior at Interlake High.

Campus: 4.68 in the 40-yard dash … 320-pound bench press … Bench pressed 225 pounds 14 times … 4.38 20-yard shuttle … 7.37 three-cone drill … 35½-inch vertical jump … 33 ½-inch arm length … 9 ¼-inch hands … Left-handed … 23/36 Wonderlic score.

Combine: 4.71 in the 40-yard dash … 1.68 10-yard dash … 2.74 20-yard dash … 4.52 20-yard shuttle … 12.08 60-yard shuttle … 7.31 three-cone drill … 36-inch vertical jump … 10-foot-3 broad jump … Bench pressed 225 pounds 19 times.

Attended Interlake (Bellevue, Wash.) High School, playing football for head coach Hoover Hopkins … Was a receiver in a wing-T offense that rarely threw the ball … The team finished his senior season with a 0-9 record … Also lettered in basketball.

Mass Communications/Journalism major … Born Sept. 8, 1983 … Resides in Bellevue, Washington.