Where NFL general managers used to ask their medical personnel whether a top first-round pick could be a staple for 10 years, they now often ask, “Can he get through his first contract?”

This shift in philosophy will likely figure in for the team that selects former Alabama defensive lineman Jonathan Allen.

The team will likely expect him to be dominant in his rookie deal and hope for the best in the long term.

Allen is widely considered a top-10 pick, but there are concerns about both shoulders. He has a history of bilateral surgery for labral repairs.


As is expected this time of year, his college doctor went public with a positive assessment of Allen’s shoulders.

Personal physician reports mean very little as a medical professional is not allowed to release any information on a patient without consent. No player would allow his medical status being released unless it was positive in nature.

Reading between the lines, there is some concern despite the doctor’s glowing assessment. Allen reportedly has moderate arthritis in his left shoulder and mild arthritis is his right. There is no doubt he was a productive college player, but arthritis is not normal for a 22 year old and will only get worse. Currently his doctor already describes “beat-up shoulders” and Allen rarely working out with bench press in college to preserve his shoulders.

Already playing with bilateral shoulder braces, a projected move to the interior line would place even more stress on his arms as he attempts to occupy multiple blockers.


No one doubts he can play football at a top level today, but the rigors of the required weight lifting and playing against better opponents could take its toll sooner rather than later.