Alleman is a throwback to the days when guards like Dan Dierdorf and Conrad Dobler of the old St. Louis Cardinals punished defensive linemen on a regular basis. The former Pittsburgh defensive end is a strong, powerful athlete who left the Panthers program after the 2003 season. The Pittsburgh staff wanted him to continue playing on the defensive line, but Alleman felt he was a better offensive guard. He transferred to Akron, where former Pittsburgh assistant coach J.D. Brookhart had taken over as the Zips' head coach in 2004.

Alleman proved right, as he quickly established himself as one of the best drive blockers in the Mid-American Conference. Known for the intensity of his offseason training regimen, he set numerous Akron lifting records (465-pound bench press and 595-pound squat). His workouts also got him named by ESPN.com in the spring of 2006 as one of the nation's "workout freaks."

At Massillon Washington High School, Alleman was named Stark County MVP his senior season. He added All-Northeast Inland District and Applebee's Player of the Year that season. The team captain and Most Valuable Player was a PrepStar All-American and All-Midwest Region choice. Rivals100.com rated him the nation's No. 21 defensive end and he was rated No. 66 at defensive end by Student Sports.

A top-70 overall prospect in the Midwest region by SuperPrep, Alleman was selected to play in the Ohio East-West All-Star game. He recorded 85 tackles (52 solos), including 10 stops for losses and 17 quarterback pressures in his final season as part of a 12-2 team that went on to the regional championship and a berth in the state semifinals in 2001. He also lettered three times in track and field and was a four-year honor roll student.

After graduating from high school, Alleman enrolled at Pittsburgh. He appeared in 12 games in 2002, seeing action mostly on the field-goal/PAT unit while serving as a reserve defensive end. He did not record any tackles during his first season.

In 2003, Alleman appeared in 12 games on the Pittsburgh defensive line (wore jersey No. 57). He registered eight tackles (six solos) with two stops for minus-5 yards and a pair of quarterback pressures. The new coaching staff at Pittsburgh did not want to shift him to the offensive line for the 2004 season, so Alleman transferred to Akron, where he was joined by former Pitt quarterback Luke Getsy as both players sat out the season under NCAA transfer rules.

After missing most of 2005 spring drills with a leg injury, Alleman went on to start 12 of 13 contests at right guard. He was credited with 53 knockdowns/key blocks and helped the Zips become 31st team in NCAA history to boast a 1,000-yard passer (Getsy, 3,455 yards), 1,000-yard receiver (Domenik Hixon, 1,210) and 1,000-yard rusher (Brett Biggs, 1,2390) in a season. The offense piled up 4,996 yards with 36 touchdowns during his junior campaign.

Alleman would again man the right guard slot for Akron in 2006. The offense struggled all year, with Alleman struggling early in the year against the pass rush. He settled down by midseason, but also had several costly false-start penalties along the way. The front wall allowed 31 sacks after giving up only 21 in 2005, and the team would average just 310.4 yards per game in total offense after averaging 384.3 yards during Alleman's first season in the Zips' starting lineup.

Positives: Natural runner with the foot speed to explode coming off the ball and the lateral slide agility to get out on the edge in pass protection ... Needs to add more lower body mass, but he shows ease-of-movement off the snap to work his way down the line ... More of a position type drive blocker rather than a mauler, but comes off the snap low, getting his hands up and into the defender's chest ... Has explosion to shock defenders and neutralize the forward charge ... Maintains balance on the move in the short area (will get narrow and fall of blocks going longer) and plays at the proper pad level to gain leverage and control when he keeps hands inside and shoots them with suddenness ... Has the ability to wall off and screen in the running game when he works his feet to gain position ... Displays a quick first step getting into the second level and the lateral slide to mirror the pass rushers ... Has good lateral agility and a feel for the blitz, picking up stunts quickly when playing with a flat back and sinking his hips ... Keeps a wide base when planting his foot into the ground to take on the bull rushers (needs to bend his knees better, though) ... His hand punch can stun opponents, but he needs to do this with more consistency ... His low stance allows him to get a strong rise off the ball and he shows good urgency staying in front of the defender working in-line ... Effective turning the corner on pulls and seeks out second-level defenders along the way, taking good angles to close.

Negatives: Still very raw, relying a lot on strength rather than technique, as he has only two years of offensive line experience under his belt ... Despite his upper body strength, he short-arms too much and takes wide swipes with his hands, preventing him from generating pop on contact ... When he has to block on the move, he gets his base too narrow and crosses his feet, resulting in him falling off his blocks ... Needs to develop better hand usage (has a terrific punch, though) as he tends to hang on and lean into his blocks rather than reaching out to redirect ... Has trouble locating defenders when working through trash, struggling at times to break down in space ... Has a tendency to bend at the waist when he gets tall in his stance and must work on improving his knee bend ... Shows soft feet in his kick slide, but needs to keep his base better, as he can be run over by the bull rush ... Must be more alert to the pre-snap, as he's had several costly false-start penalties in 2006 ... Not a consistent finisher, as he fails to translate his weight room strength to the playing field.

Compares To: Rick DeMulling, Detroit Lions ... Alleman has good upper body strength, but needs to learn the techniques of proper hand placement in order for him to take that weight room power to the football field ... He is an aggressive player who battles hard in the trenches and has the lateral range you look for a guard on pulls and traps, however, he has only two years of offensive line experience and will need a patient coach to teach him how to stay low in his pads and keep his hands active ... For a player who boasts his weight room figures, you would expect him to be more of a mauler on running plays rather than a position-type of blocker.

Named Stark County MVP his senior season ... All-Northeast Inland District ... Applebee?s Player of the Year ... Totaled 85 tackles (52 solo), including 10 tackles for losses and 17 quarterback hurries as a senior ... Led team to 12-2 record, regional championship and berth in state semifinals in 2001 ... Team captain and Most Valuable Player ... PrepStar All-American ... PrepStar All-Midwest Region ... Rated the nation?s No. 21 defensive end by Rivals100.com ... Rated No. 66 defensive end by Student Sports ... Top-70 overall prospect in the Midwest region by SuperPrep ... Selected to play in the Ohio East-West All-Star game ... Also earned three letters in track and field ... Four-year honor roll student ... Coached by Rick Shepas.

Born Nov. 20, 1983, in Akron, Ohio ... Parents are Rodney and June Alleman ... Majoring in mass media/communications.