Until Jonathan Allen developed into a hulking defensive lineman at Alabama and became the Washington Redskins’ 17th overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, the Ashburn, Va., native weighed 180 pounds and was testing out wide receiver.
After arriving at Stone Bridge High School, just a short drive away from the Inova Sports Performance Center at Redskins Park in Loudoun County, Va., he started his freshman year taking part in offseason workouts at wide receiver and defensive back.
It wasn’t until a scrimmage in his sophomore season that he tried playing defensive line, and it was a bit of a struggle.