Brian Allen Selected by Los Angeles Rams in Fourth Round
Michigan State NFL Draft Update: Brian Allen Selected by Los Angeles Rams in Fourth Round
EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State center Brian Allen was selected by the Los Angeles Rams in the fourth round (No. 111 overall) of the 2018 National Football League Draft on Saturday, April 28.
Michigan State is one of just five schools to have had at least one player chosen every year since the inception of the common NFL Draft in 1967. In addition, at least one Spartan has been selected in the NFL Draft since 1941, the third-longest streak in the FBS (78 straight).
Allen is the third offensive lineman to be drafted under head coach Mark Dantonio (offensive tackle Jack Conklin, first round in 2016 by Tennessee; offensive guard Donavon Clark, seventh round in 2016 by San Diego).
In his first year as the full-time starting center in 2017, Allen anchored a young Spartan offensive line and helped lead MSU to a 10-3 overall record and No. 15 final ranking in The Associated Press Poll. He was the highest graded Spartan offensive lineman and led the team in snaps (977), knockdowns (98) and dominators (23). Allen finished the regular season ranked the No. 6 center in the FBS by Pro Football Focus. A four-time Pro Football Focus Big Ten Team of the Week honoree, Allen was also named Spartan Offensive Lineman of the Week on four occasions.
The Hinsdale, Illinois, native started 38 games during his four seasons in East Lansing, including a team-best 28 consecutive to close out his career, as part of a total of 51 games played. A three-time All-Big Ten honoree, he earned second-team honors from the coaches and media at center in 2017, and was also a second-team All-Big Ten selection at guard as a junior (media) in 2016 and as a sophomore in 2015 (coaches and media).
In addition to his impressive on-field resume, Allen was just as successful in the classroom. He was named a semifinalist in 2017 for the William V. Campbell Trophy, which is widely known as the "Academic Heisman," and also the National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete Class. Allen, an economics major, was a three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection and was named to the NFF Hampshire Honor Society in 2018.
Voted a team captain in 2017, Allen helped lead the Spartan senior class to a 36-16 record from 2014-17, including two bowl wins (2014 Cotton, 2017 Holiday), one Big Ten Championship (2015) and one College Football Playoff appearance (2015). The 36 wins are sixth most by a class in school history. Following his highly successful collegiate career, Allen started in the East-West Shrine Game in January and participated in the NFL Combine in March.
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