PHILADELPHIA – Jonathan Allen isn't familiar with the honky-tonks in downtown Nashville.
"What's that?," the Alabama defensive lineman replied on Wednesday when discussing his recent visit to the city. "Honky-tonks? I don't know what that is."
But the Alabama defensive lineman knows a lot about Nashville, and the Titans.
He took his fiancée to the Music City, for her 21st birthday, and also brought her back to town when he made his pre-draft visit to the Titans earlier this month.
"It is trendy, a lot of young people in our age group live there,'' Allen said. "It is just an up-and-coming city with country music, and I do know about that. She is starting to break me in on the country. Really, it is just a fun atmosphere to be around. Living there would be a blessing, a perfect fit."
Allen, a disruptive defensive lineman from Leesburg, Virginia, is considered one of the top defensive players in this year's NFL Draft. He was a force with the Crimson Tide, and he's expected to hear his name called early here at the NFL Draft on Thursday night.
Speaking at an NFL Play60 event here on Wednesday, Allen recalled his meeting with the Titans.
"It went great,'' he said. "I loved it, and my fiancé loves Nashville. I talked to the GM (Jon Robinson), coach (Mike) Mularkey, defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau – he is a legend. It was a dream true."
Allen said one of the players he admires most in the NFL is Titans defensive lineman Jurrell Casey.
He said he'd love to work with him.
"Just watching his film, he just stands out,'' Allen said of Casey. "He is aggressive, plays with discipline and great technique. He is one of the best all-around linemen in the NFL. The way he uses his hands, how he plays the game with his leverage. He plays the game the right way from a defensive lineman's standpoint. You have to learn from the best if you want to be the best."
The Titans have two picks in the first round of the draft – 5 and 18.
Allen said he's anxious to find out where he's going. He loves the thought of playing in Tennessee. In addition to the Titans, Allen also visited Chicago, Baltimore, Jacksonville, San Diego and San Francisco.
"I think I am very well-rounded and versatile,'' Allen said. "I am a hard worker, a blue-collar guy, and I think that fits well with what's going on in Tennessee.
"And I'm ready to work. Even after you get drafted you still haven't "made it" to an extent. You have been given an opportunity, and it depends on what you are going to do with the opportunity."
