The San Francisco 49ers coaching staff is headed to Mobile, Alabama next week, and unfortunately they (and the Raiders staff) will not get to work with arguably the top senior prospect. The Senior Bowl released their official rosters and Kentucky edge rusher Josh Allen is not included on either the North or South rosters. Here’s the South roster the 49ers coaching staff will be working with next week.
It is not the most shocking development. Allen is looking like a top ten, if not top five pick, and he is avoiding a potential injury skipping out on a week of practices and the Saturday game. Injuries can happen at any point in the pre-draft process, but this removes the last remaining true football workout before the draft. He’ll likely be at the Combine, have a workout at the Kentucky campus, and have numerous private visits, but none will be the same as the normal football practice that would happen in Mobile.
It’s not surprising, but it’s still disappointing for the 49ers. They can learn plenty about him outside of the Senior Bowl, but it would have given them a great opportunity to decide if he is really worth the No. 2 overall pick. They’ll make the decision regardless, but a full week of one-on-one time would have been helpful.