Pre-draft Before the draft, analyst
Mel Kiper Jr. considered Allen a "sleeper" who would be selected in the third or fourth round. Kiper also described Allen as "a big corner who runs well, tests well athletically and has good strength". On July 28, 2011, the Steelers signed Allen to a four-year,
$2.43 million
contract that includes a
signing bonus of $293,625. Due to injury, Allen missed much of training camp. Allen played 15 games in the 2011 season and missed Week 6 (October 9) due to an ankle injury. He debuted professionally in Week 1 (September 11) against the
Baltimore Ravens on
special teams. On October 23 (Week 7) against the
Arizona Cardinals, Allen made his first defensive tackle. Allen made a career-high five tackles in Week 6 (October 11), a
Thursday night match against the
Tennessee Titans. In the season finale on Week 17 (December 30) against the
Cleveland Browns, Allen forced two fumbles, both of which were followed by Steelers touchdowns. In the second quarter, Allen stripped a received ball from
Josh Gordon, with
Lawrence Timmons recovering. Then in the fourth quarter, Allen forced a fumble from
Travis Benjamin after Benjamin caught a pass. Allen returned the fumble 21 yards and set up a possession that led to a touchdown. In Week 3 of the 2014 season, the Steelers lost cornerback
Ike Taylor to a forearm injury. Allen stepped in as his replacement. While playing the
Buccaneers the week after, he recorded 7 tackles as well as an interception. The next week, facing the Jaguars, he intercepted a pass from rookie quarterback
Blake Bortles in the 2nd quarter. He finished the game with 7 tackles and an interception. On October 17, the Steelers benched Allen in favor of veteran
Brice McCain.
2015 Allen played in one game for the Steelers in 2015. He was placed on injured reserve in October. He was released by the Steelers on April 15, 2016. ==NFL career statistics==