Zach Allen

Zach Allen

No. 99 – Denver Broncos
Position:	Defensive end
Personal information
Born:	(1997-08-20) August 20, 1997 (age 27) New Canaan, Connecticut, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight:	281 lb (127 kg)
Career information
High school:	New Canaan (CT)
College:	Boston College (2015–2018)
NFL draft:	2019 / round: 3 / pick: 65
Career history
Arizona Cardinals (2019–2022) Denver Broncos (2023–present)
Roster status:	Active
Career highlights and awards
Second-team All-ACC (2018)
Career NFL statistics as of Week 17, 2024
Total tackles: 258 Sacks: 25.0 Forced fumbles: 1 Fumble recoveries: 3 Interceptions: 1 Pass deflections: 17 Defensive touchdowns: 1 Stats at Pro Football Reference

Zachary William-Jacob Allen (born August 20, 1997) is an American professional football defensive end for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL).^[1] He played college football at Boston College.^[2]

College career

As a freshman in 2015, Allen played in all 12 games of the regular season, primarily as a member of the special teams unit. He participated in 66 plays on special teams and 46 plays at defensive end. In the first game of his collegiate career, Allen registered an assisted tackle in the season opener vs. Maine and recorded one solo tackle against Howard.^[2]

In 2016, Allen played in 13 games (2016 Quick Lane Bowl), making one start against Georgia Tech in Dublin. Allen recorded 36 tackles on the season, including 19 solo tackles, and 17 assists, as well as 6.0 sacks. On the year he deflected 4 passes and had 2 fumble recoveries. In the 2016 Quick Lane Bowl, Allen played a big part in the victory over the Maryland Terrapins, recording a single-game career high of 2 sacks for a loss of 15 yards, along with 2 solo tackles.^[2][3]

In 2017, Allen was promoted to a full-time starting defensive end and started in all 13 games (2017 Pinstripe Bowl).^[2] Allen had a career year: He had 47 solo tackles and 53 assists, with 15.5 tackles for loss, a 5.5 improvement. Allen was one of only two defensive lineman to record at least 100 tackles. Despite the leap in tackles, his sack production dropped to 4.0, 2.0 fewer than the 6.0 he recorded in 2016. Allen recorded 1 interception and deflected 3 passes.^[3] After posting a career-high 14 tackles against Virginia Tech, Allen was named the Atlantic Coast Conference Defensive lineman of the week.^[4] After the season, Allen won the Bulger Love Award, given to New England's best offensive and defensive NCAA football players.^[5] There was speculation that Allen would declare for the 2018 NFL draft after his junior season, but he later announced that he would return to school for his senior year.^[6]

In 2018, Allen played in all 12 regular season games; however, he did not participate in the 2018 First Responder Bowl. On the year, Allen proved to still be quite productive, recording 26 solo tackles, 35 assists, and 15.0 tackles for loss. Allen had a career-high for sacks in 2018, recording 6.5, a 0.5 improvement over his 2016 record. Allen tallied 1 interception, which was returned for 6 yards, and deflected a career-high 7 passes, doubling all of his previous years' deflected passes combined. He also had 2 fumble recoveries and his first career forced fumble.^[2][3]

College statistics

Boston College Eagles
Season	Class	Pos	GP	Tackles					Interceptions					Fumbles
				Solo	Ast	Cmb	TfL	Sck	Int	Yds	Avg	TD	PD	FR	Yds	TD	FF
2015	FR	DE	2	1	1	2	0	0.0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2016	SO	DE	10	19	17	36	10	6.0	0	0	0.0	0	4	2	0	0	0
2017	JR	DE	13	47	53	100	15.5	4.0	1	0	0.0	0	4	0	0	0	0
2018	SR	DE	12	26	35	61	15	6.5	1	6	6.0	0	7	2	0	0	1
Career			37	93	106	199	40.5	16.5	2	6	3.0	0	15	4	0	0	1

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables

Height	Weight	Arm length	Hand span	40-yard dash	10-yard split	20-yard split	20-yard shuttle	Three-cone drill	Vertical jump	Broad jump	Bench press	Wonderlic
6 ft 4+1⁄8 in (1.93 m)	281 lb (127 kg)	34+3⁄4 in (0.88 m)	10+1⁄8 in (0.26 m)	5.00 s	1.65 s	2.91 s	4.36 s	7.34 s	32.0 in (0.81 m)	9 ft 4 in (2.84 m)	24 reps	36
All values from NFL Scouting Combine[7][8]

Arizona Cardinals

Allen was selected by the Arizona Cardinals with the 65th overall pick in the third round of the 2019 NFL draft.^[9] Following training camp, Allen was named a starting defensive end to start the season.^[10] Allen started for the Cardinals in his debut during Week 1 of the 2019 season against the Detroit Lions. During the game, Allen recorded three solo tackles.^[11] He played in the first four games before suffering a neck injury in Week 4. He missed the next six games before being placed on injured reserve on November 13, 2019.^[12]

In Week 1 of the 2020 season against the San Francisco 49ers, Allen recorded his first career sack on Jimmy Garoppolo during the 24–20 win.^[13] He was placed on injured reserve on October 27, 2020.^[14] He was activated on November 28, 2020.^[15] In Week 15 against the Philadelphia Eagles, Allen led the team with 11 tackles and sacked Jalen Hurts once during the 33–26 win.^[16]

Allen entered the 2021 season as a starting defensive end. He played in 15 games with 14 starts, recording 48 tackles, four sacks, and three fumble recoveries.^[17]

Denver Broncos

On March 15, 2023, Allen signed a three-year, $45.75 million contract with the Denver Broncos.^[18]

References

1. "Zach Allen DEFENSIVE END". azcardinals.com. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
2. "BC No.2 Zach Allen". bceagles.com. Retrieved March 6, 2019.
3. "Zach Allen Stat Overview". sports-reference.com. Retrieved March 6, 2019.
4. Stewart, Dave (October 9, 2017). "Boston College's Allen named ACC lineman of the week". New Canaan Advertiser. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
5. Stewart, Dave (November 28, 2017). "Zach Allen wins Bulger Lowe Award as top defensive player in New England". New Canaan Advertiser. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
6. Benbow, Julian (January 5, 2018). "BC defensive end Zach Allen will be back for senior season". Boston Globe. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
7. "Zach Allen Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". National Football League. Retrieved March 6, 2019.
8. "2019 Draft Scout Zach Allen, Boston College NFL Draft Scout College Football Profile". draftscout.com. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
9. Odegard, Kyle (April 26, 2019). "Cardinals Select Defensive End Zach Allen In Third Round". AZCardinals.com. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
10. Urban, Darren (August 10, 2019). "Cardinals Cut Darius Philon, Zach Allen Gets Big Opportunity". azcardinals.com. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
11. "Zach Allen 2019 game logs". nfl.com. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
12. Urban, Darren (November 13, 2019). "Cardinals Place Zach Allen On Injured Reserve". AZCardinals.com. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
13. "Arizona Cardinals at San Francisco 49ers - September 13th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
14. Urban, Darren (October 27, 2020). "Cardinals Place Zach Allen, Isaiah Irving On Injured Reserve". AZCardinals.com. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
15. Urban, Darren (November 28, 2020). "Zach Allen Activated, Josh Mauro, Darrell Daniels To Injured Reserve". AZCardinals.com. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
16. "Philadelphia Eagles at Arizona Cardinals - December 20th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
17. "Zach Allen 2021 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
18. DiLalla, Aric (March 15, 2023). "Broncos sign DE Zach Allen". DenverBroncos.com. Retrieved May 18, 2023.

External links

• Career statistics from Sports Reference (college)
• Denver Broncos bio
• Boston College Eagles bio