National Football League

Buck Allen, Nelson Agholor will test their skills at NFL Combine

Published Feb. 20, 2015 6:00 p.m. ET

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Buck Allen's decision to enter the 2015 NFL Draft didn't come as a surprise to many.

Following a small sample size that brought about questions of the running back entering the 2014 NFL Draft, Allen returned to school and stood out in his lone season under Steve Sarkisian.

Allen has the skillset of an every down back -- he can also block and catch out of the backfield. 

On Saturday  in Indiapolis, he's expected to compete in on-field drills at the 2015 NFL Scouting Combine which got under way earlier this week. On-field drills began on Friday for offensive lineman and tight ends; Quarterbacks, running backs, and wide receivers are scheduled for Saturday. 

There will be a lot of eyes on Allen's position group. NFL Network Draft analyst Mike Mayock calls this "one of the best running back classes I've seen in recent history."

There is "depth throughout" in the group that headlined by Wisconsin's Melvin Gordon and Georgia's Todd Gurley. There hasn't been a running back taken in the first round since Doug Martin and David Wilson were selected back-to-back with the 31st and 32nd picks, respectively, in the end of the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft.

But Gordon and Gurley, who's coming off of an ACL injury, could change that.

As for Allen, he's currently stuck behind some impressive talent.

Mayock says the USC tailback can go in the fourth or fifth round but could hear his name earlier "because he's so big and strong."

The draft analyst calls him a "big kid" and a "downhill" runner. 

Allen, who weighed in at 6-feet and 221 pounds in Indy this week, totaled 1,489 yards on the ground and averaged 11.2 yards per catch in 2014. 

He's expected to participate in all of the drills on Saturday including running in the 40-yard dash. 

His USC teammate Nelson Agholor, who like Allen also hails from Florida, is also scheduled to take the field on Saturday. 

"One of my favorite route runners in the draft," Mayock said of Agholor. "(He) gets in and out of breaks, catches the football, makes you miss like the punt returner that he is." 

Agholor has a second round grade according to Mayock's calculations. If that were to hold up, he'd join recent USC wide receivers Robert Woods and Marqise Lee as Trojan wideouts to be taken in the second round. 

His ability to return punts gives him "extra value," Mayock says.

Agholor returned four punts for touchdowns in his career.

On Friday, Allen and Agholor were announced as having partnerships with adidas football.

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