Eagles WR Devon Allen flashes Olympian speed with impressive 55-yard touchdown catch against Browns, promptly hits hurdle celebration

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Devon Allen is one of the best hurdlers in the world. On Sunday, he showed how that athleticism can pay off on the football field.

In the third quarter of the Eagles’ preseason matchup with the Browns, Allen raced through the Cleveland secondary and laid out in the end zone to haul in an impressive 55-yard touchdown from Reid Sinnett.

Allen said when he saw the ball up in the air, he knew he was going to come down with it.

“I’ve played football a long time so that doesn’t really change in terms of the thought when the ball goes up in the air,” Allen said after the game. “Reid made a great throw. I think it’s probably a 55-, 60-yard pass so Reid has a strong arm so I’m glad I got there. Made it easy on me, I could just catch in the end zone and lay on the ground. But yeah no it was cool, it was cool that the coaches gave me that opportunity.”

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Allen has won the U.S. national championship in the 110-meter hurdles three times in his career (2014, 2016, 2018) and reached the finals in the event at the Olympics in both 2016 and 2020.

While Allen is mostly known for his hurdling to this point in his career, he is an intriguing football player in his own right. In 2014, he caught 41 passes for 684 yards with seven touchdowns at Oregon, though he battled injuries throughout his football career.

Allen is in his first NFL preseason since he signed an undrafted rookie contract with the Eagles back in April.

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Allen returned to his roots a little bit after the touchdown catch. His celebration was him hurdling through the end zone, something he said he developed while talking with Tyree Jackson before the game.

“It was funny I was just like, ‘Oh man, Tyree’ — one of our tight ends, I was like, ‘Man, I don’t know, what should I do if I score?’ He was like, ‘You should do a hurdle, I was like, ‘Got you,'” Allen said.

That celebration might look familiar to Ducks’ fans, as it was one he did during his time at Oregon.

Devon Allen 40 time

There is no doubt Allen has speed. He wouldn’t be a national champion in hurdles if he couldn’t run fast. But what is his straight-line speed?

Back when Allen participated in Oregon’s Pro Day, Allen clocked an impressive 4.35-second 40 time, according to OregonLive.

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That is certainly speedy enough to make it work in the NFL. Legendary receivers DeSean Jackson and Calvin Johnson, and active standout receivers Terry McLaurin and Quez Watkins are among receivers that posted that time at the NFL combine, per Stathead.

Another angle of the route he ran shows just how easy it was for Allen to blaze past the defense.

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