NFL hopeful Allen shows Browns his skills | news-press.com | The News-Press

NFL hopeful Allen shows

Browns his skills

By DAVID DORSEY • ddorsey@news-press.com •

April 6, 2010

Nate Allen backpedaled, caught the pass, turned and

ran forward.

Allen, a 2006 Cape Coral High School graduate, has

been moving forward a lot these days.

The former University of South Florida football

player projects to be one of the top safeties selected

in the upcoming NFL Draft, April 22-24.

On Monday morning, Allen worked out with

Cleveland Browns defensive backs coach Jerome

Henderson, himself a former NFL player with the

Patriots, Bills, Eagles and Jets, from 1990-1998.

"He did good, Mom," Harrison said to Darlene Allen,

Nate Allen's mother.

Other than those four words, Harrison said nothing.

Team policy prohibited him from talking about the

two-hour meeting, which moved from Bishop Verot

High School's football field inside to a meeting

room for a private "chalk talk."

"I think Nate's talking to 10 teams," said Jackie Allen,

Nate's father. "That's a lot of teams. And you only

need but one of them."

The Browns have the seventh pick in the first round

and the sixth pick (38th overall) in the second

round.

"There is no point in trying to figure it out," Nate

Allen said of which of the 32 NFL teams might pick

him.

Most mock drafts project Allen as a second round

selection.

"I don't even mess with it," Nate Allen said. "I'll meet

with whoever I have to meet, and it will all sort itself

out."

Nate Allen flew to Kansas City, Mo., Monday

afternoon and will work out for the Chiefs today. He

will leave this evening for New York City and meet

with the Jets on Tuesday.

Nate Allen will fly to Tampa on Wednesday night,

work out for the Buccaneers on Thursday morning

and then return to Fort Myers on Friday.

On Monday, Allen will visit the Rams in St. Louis. On

Tuesday, he will conclude his tour of teams, visiting

again with the Browns, this time in Cleveland, Ohio.

"The visits, you get wined and dined," he said. "They

tell you, 'order as much room service as you want.'"

Allen obliged. He ran up a $100 room service bill in

Washington, D.C., ordering a filet mignon steak and

a dessert.

Last week, he learned of his trip to Washington on

his way to the airport for the trip to Dallas. He

ended up having to wear the same slacks and dress

shirt on consecutive days because he only packed

one day's worth of clothes.

"I've met so many people," said Allen, who last week

had breakfast with Chicago Bears coach Lovie Smith

one day and dinner with Dallas Cowboys owner

Jerry Jones the next.

"It's kind of like recruiting," Allen said. "The

difference is that they can't just sign you."

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