Keenan Allen Q&A with Bolts From the Blue

1. How does Keenan Allen compare to the other receivers currently on the roster?

He fills a gap in the WR group, which has lacked a "strong" WR that fights for the ball since Vincent Jackson signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last offseason. Malcom Floyd and Danario Alexander are tall guys with great ball skills, while Robert Meachem and Eddie Royal get by on their speed. Vincent Brown is comparable to Allen, but he missed the entire 2012 season with a broken foot.

2. What role do wide receivers have in the Chargers offense? What can you envision as KA21's role as a big bodied smooth receiver with great hands? How about punt returns?

Impossible to tell, right now. Last season's offense was Norv Turner's, but this season the Chargers are expected to come up with a new-ish offense based around the philosophies of Head Coach Mike McCoy (former Offensive Coordinator of the Denver Broncos) and Ken Whisenhunt (former Head Coach of the Arizona Cardinals).

3. What kind of production or contributions are you expecting from Allen to consider him a worthwhile draft pick?

I don't expect a lot from him in 2013, but I believe this would be a worthwhile draft pick if he could compete for one of the top 3 WR spots on the roster in 2014.

4. Wide receiver wasn't much of a need for San Diego (at least not when looking for third-round draft picks)--did you agree with the decision to draft Allen or should management have looked to fill another position?

It wasn't a need, but I do think they filled the spot for a tough receiver that can fight for the ball and make the tough catch on 3rd down. The San Diego Chargers aren't expecting to compete in 2013, so this was a good move for the future and fills a (lesser) need for the current team as well.

5. What was the initial reaction from Chargers fans about the drafting of Keenan Allen?

Fans were, and continue to be, ecstatic about the value of the pick. Allen has first round talent, and Chargers fans know that.

6. Are you concerned about Allen's knee injury?

A little bit. At this point, everything I've read says that nobody knows how good or bad his knee is, and nobody will really know what his knee can do until he builds back the muscles in the area. However, I am fairly confident that he could survive in the NFL even if the knee injury took away some of his speed.

7. Are you concerned about Allen's 40 time at his pro day?

See my answer above. There have been receivers in the league that can survive without speed (Keyshawn Johnson comes to mind) and I think Allen could be at least that.

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Check back with CGB soon as we learn more from Bolts From the Blue about how Steve Williams fits into their defensive gameplan. Our thanks John Gennaro for helping us get a feel for the future of Keenan and best of luck to our superstar former Golden Bear.