Steelers Draft CB Cortez Allen With 31st (128th overall) Pick Of The Fourth Round

The Steelers drafted cornerback Cortez Allen, from the Citadel with the 31st pick in the 4th round (128th overall) of the 2011 NFL draft. Allen is a raw, long corner with a ton of upside as he is one of the premier small college outside cornerbacks. He is a physical cornerback measuring 6 feet 1 and nearly 200 pounds. He excels in both bump and off coverage, not experienced but natural at corner with tons of upside. He is very versatile, with good reaction and vision which fits well in the Steelers zone coverages. His size will let him compete with bigger receivers and he is not afraid of contact, he just needs more experience as he did not get much time working on his craft due to school commitments at the Citadel. He is a very strong character guy in addition.

Covering the short side of the field, Allen was the lone bright spot for a struggling Citadel defense, as his ability to shut down his opponent on deep routes and wreak havoc for quarterbacks attempting to complete underneath passes had opposing offensive coordinators devising their game plans to not throw his way. Since moving into the starting lineup as a sophomore, Allen allowed just 69-of-197 passes targeted into his area to be completed (35.03%). During his career, teams managed to convert just three of those receptions into touchdowns.

Allen placed first among cornerbacks at the combine in the broad jump with a 10 feet, 9 inch jump, had the second-best time at his position in the 60-yard shuttle (10.87 seconds), the fifth best in the 20-yard shuttle (4.01) and was 11th in the three-cone drill (6.76).

Cortez Allen NFL Combine Results

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