Chargers WR Keenan Allen: “I still feel like I’m the best”

Los Angeles Chargers’ veteran wide receiver Keenan Allen has never been sort on confidence, and there is no indication anything has changed in that department this offseason. He made that clear during his appearance on FS1’s Undisputed this past week when he told Skip Bayless and Shannon Sharpe, “Obviously, I still feel like I”m the best. I’m still playing within my scheme. So, you know, I”m going to keep doing what I’m doing for the team. Keep making the guys better, keep making our team better, and keep making my plays and stay consistent.”

Allen was responding to Pro Football Focus’ Top 100 list which ranked him 34th overall and 6th among wide receivers behind the Oakland Raiders’ Antonio Brown, the Cleveland Browns’ Odell Beckham Jr., the New Orleans Saints’ Michael Thomas, the Atlanta Falcons’ Julio Jones, and the Houston Texans’ DeAndre Hopkins.

The former Cal wide out certainly belongs in the conversation with those men. If you fancy the advanced stats, he finished ahead of both Brown and Beckham in DYAR last season. He also eclipsed them in DVOA (in which he also edged Jones). Allen doesn’t have the same volume as most of them (only Beckham had fewer targets in 2018), but he is every bit the route runner and playmaker that they are despite not having quite the same athletic traits.

If Allen, who has struggled with injuries throughout his career, can stay healthy in 2019, he can continue to prove he’s among the very best and maybe he can rank higher on these silly offseason lists next year.