Eagles’ Devon Allen posts 3rd fastest 110 meter hurdle time in history
Philly’s new prospect comes with speed to spare, but whether or not he can cut it in the grid iron is the question everybody wants answered.
As the Philadelphia Eagles prepare for the coming season, there is one new talent in particular who is turning heads and quickly too.
Philadelphia Eagles’ Devon Allen is a very fast man
If there is one thing that the Eagles will have in this year’s summer camp it’s speed. While they already knew this to be true of Devon Allen when he signed for the franchise back in April, having just recorded an unofficial 4.35-second 40-yard dash at Oregon’s pro day, what they could not have known is that he’d go on to make history not too long after with his high velocity. On Sunday, Allen ran the third-fastest 110-meter hurdles in history. You read that right. With a time of 12.84 seconds posted at the New York Grand Prix, the professional track and field athlete actually beat out Olympic silver medalist Grant Holloway, whose 13.04-second time was only good enough for second place. In case you’re wondering, Allen’s time is just .04 seconds off of the world record set by American Aries Merritt back in 2012 at the Van Damme Memorial in Brussels, Belgium.
Speaking after the race on Sunday wasn’t shy about the about his intentions pre-race. Indeed, the speedster disclosed that he came to the meet intending to break the world record. “I thought I could break the record today,” Allen said. “Clean up a few things, and four hundredths of a second is four thousandths of a second per hurdle, which is so small. Going to have to wait for another race.” With that said, it’s no doubt that the Eagles will be excited about the possibilities that exist with such a player on their roster.
Who is Devon Allen?
At the age of 27, Allen is a been to the Olympics twice. There was Rio in 2016 and then another appearance just last summer when he qualified for the Games in Tokyo. On both occasions Allen finished just off the podium, but with his recent showing it’s quite clear that he has continued to work at his craft, as the time he posted would have secured a gold medal at either of those Games.
Interestingly, Allen actually has experience in football having played as a wide receiver for Oregon between 2014 and 2016. During that time he accumulated some 54 catches to go with 919 yards and eight touchdowns across three seasons. Though some made point out that such numbers aren’t worthy of praise, it’s now clear that the Eagles intend to explore their options given the kind of speed that the young prospect has showcased. “I train to be explosive and as strong as possible on the track,” Allen said. “And that’s pretty much what I’ll be doing in football.” Incidentally, the speed demon has no intention of bringing a halt to his athletic career with reports suggesting that he will in fact be competing at the USA Track & Field Outdoor Championships later this month followed by an appearance at the World Championships in mid-July before finally reporting for duty with the Eagles on July 26th.