Track and field star Devon Allen made a bold claim that he is faster than any other player in the NFL.
The 28-year-old, who was a wide receiver in the Philadelphia Eagles practice squad, ran 13.04 seconds, the fourth-fastest 110m hurdles of 2023 at the USATF New York City Grand Prix in June. During an interview with TMZ, the American claimed nobody in the league is quicker than him, but did make an admission about some races in school involving Miami Dolphins star Tyreek Hill.
“I definitely am [quicker],” Allen said. “I’m not gonna roast [Tyreek Hill and DK Metcalf] because what they did [in track appearances] was impressive. I raced Tyreek Hill when I was in high school. We raced and he smoked me when we were in high school and DK Metcalf ran a 10.3 a couple years ago is super impressive for a guy that’s six-three, six-four, 225.
“But I think especially at the top level — top-five, top-10 in the world — there’s a big gap in terms of just performance.” Allen played wide receiver for the University of Oregon football team from 2014 to 2016 and after a six-year hiatus in which he became a sprinter, he returned to the sport during the 2022 offseason.
Despite possessing incredible raw speed, Allen has yet to couple that speed with his American football skills at the level required for the NFL, as he has yet to make a 53-man roster. The Olympian commented on his experiences participating in the Eagles’ training camp in 2022 and the jump from competing at college level to the top level of the NFL.
“The first whirlwind for me was training camp, getting thrown into the fire, and realizing this isn’t college anymore,” Allen explained. “I played at the University of Oregon, which is high-level ball, but the NFL takes it to another level.”
After his blistering performance at the USATF New York City Grand Prix, Allen spoke on how he plans to balance both sports for the next few years, and the Eagles have indicated their confidence in Allen by signing him to a reserve contract in 2023. Speaking on the broadcast on NBC Sports, Allen said: "It's going well. You know, balancing both is difficult, but I'm having a lot of fun.
“As long as I can stay healthy, it's good to compete against these guys in high-quality competition. You know, 13.01 and 13.04 is nothing to scoff at, so we're ready to go." Allen will next be in action on the track at the USATF Outdoor Championships, which begins on July 6 in Eugene, Oregon.
If he were to qualify for the World Athletics Championships, which commence August 18 in Budapest, Hungary, he said he will have to make a decision to make between competing at the championships and taking part in the Eagles’ training camp. "Yeah, I still don't have a plan of what I'm going to do with worlds being, you know, during training camp," Allen told KPIC-TV in Oregon.
"Obviously, it'd be nice to compete at worlds and also it would be nice to be at training camp so I can make the 53-man roster. So, obviously, it's going to be a little bit of a decision, but I'm not going to worry about that like I said until I make the world championship team. USA is a competitive meet. Just got to focus on doing that first."
