Why you should be excited about fifth-round safety Marcus Allen:
-Allen, 6-foot-2, 215 pounds, finished his Penn State career fifth in program history in tackles with 321.
-Allen became the first safety to lead Penn State in tackles since 2002 when he registered a career-high 110 in 2016.
-Allen doesn't pile up tackles by accident. Dane Brugler's 2018 NFL Draft Guide assessed his ability in that department as follows: "Fearless competitor and seeks out physical contact … forceful striker, but also a smart striker, lowering his pads to create leverage and power … squares the ballcarrier and uses sound wrap-up technique."
-Allen's hitting ability resulted in five forced fumbles over the last three seasons.
-He started 46 of 52 career games played at Penn State, including 39 in a row over his final three seasons.
-Allen was named first-team All-Big Ten and was Penn State's MVP in 2017 as well as a team captain.
-The Steelers envision Allen as another player with the versatility to fulfill a variety of roles. "They moved him around a lot," Steelers defensive backs coach Tom Bradley said of how Allen was deployed at Penn State. "If he needs to play 'dime' (linebacker) or do some other things in our scheme, he should be able to do it. He certainly has the physical tools to get it done."
-Bradley also sees the potential for Allen to contribute in the kicking game. "I would imagine he's a heck of a special teams player," Bradley said.
