NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The state where Josh Allen was lightly recruited out of high school as a two-star linebacker could end up as his home again — in the NFL.

The Kentucky pass rusher, who hails from Montclair, N.J., could be in play for the Jets at No. 3 or the Giants at No. 6 on Thursday night in the first round of the draft.

“I would just be real thankful,” Allen said Wednesday. “Great, high picks and they both need an outside linebacker/pass rusher. So whoever gets me, I just want to make that team great. I want to be great. So let’s be great together.”

The 6-foot-5, 252-pound Allen splashed onto the scene as a sure top-10 pick last fall in his senior season for the Wildcats. He racked up 88 tackles, 21.5 for loss, and 17 sacks, while forcing five fumbles and recovering two. He earned SEC Defensive Player of the Year honors, the Bronko Nagurski Trophy and Chuck Bednarik Award as the nation’s top defensive player.

In a draft that is top-heavy with defensive-front talent, Allen was asked what separates him from the rest.

“My sack numbers. I’ll just end it right there,” said Allen, who broke Kentucky’s program-record with 31.5 career sacks.

Both the Jets and Giants could desperately use a pass rusher. The Giants were 31st in the NFL in sacks last year while the Jets have long been looking for a consistent presence off the edge.

Allen already has a connection on the Jets in inside linebacker Avery Williamson, a Kentucky product, while the Giants’ facility and MetLife Stadium are a short drive from his hometown. Among the side benefits of playing for either team, he said, would be not having to spend much time looking for houses.

“I’d be basically home,” he said. “The best thing about it is I’d probably have an idea where I’m going to live.”