California wide receiver Keenan Allen. Photo by Brian Carriveau of CheeseheadTV.com.

There's any number of reasons California wide receiver Keenan Allen could drop to the Green Bay Packers with the 26th overall selection in the first round of the NFL Draft next Thursday.

Chief among them is are ankle and knee injuries that likely caused Allen to run an alarmingly slow 40-yard dash time exceeding 4.7 seconds at a personal pro day workout on April 9 in North Carolina, according to Mike Mayock of the NFL Network who was present at the workout.

"I know people have been doubting me on my speed, but I don't feel like I'm a slow guy," said Allen back during the NFL Combine. "I feel like I'm pretty fast, but I definitely put some effort into it."

Allen originally suffered an injury to the PCL in his left knee in a game against Utah Oct. 27 that caused him to miss Cal's final three games and then re-aggravated it in January while working out in preparation for the NFL Draft.

The Packers reportedly had a representative at Allen's workout a little more than a week ago, but how they're reacting to Allen's slow 40 time is anyone's guess.

"You know, even Allen I think is going to slide a little bit. Didn't run well," said Mayock in a conference call with reporters on Thursday. "But he's more of a little bit of a speed deficient, but tough Anquan Boldin type of guy."

Allen likes the comparisons to Boldin, a tall wide receiver not necessarily known for his speed but still productive nonetheless. Boldin earned a Super Bowl ring with the Baltimore Ravens this past season before recently being traded to the San Francisco 49ers.

Whereas Boldin is 6-1 and 220 lbs., Allen has a similar frame, though slightly lighter at 6-2 and 206 lbs.

In response to what he likes about Boldin, Allen said, "His physicalness, going up and making catches you don't think he's going to come down with. (Ravens quarterback Joe) Flacco just throws it up there sometimes, and he always makes incredible catches, including the Super Bowl game, so that's what I like about him."

Earlier this week, ESPN.com reported that Allen had been red-flagged for a drug test at the Combine back in February for a suspicious amount of water in his urine.

That report has, in a sense, been debunked when Allen's agent, J.T. Johnson, provided evidence that Allen had been asked to come back to Indianapolis on April 6 to re-check his ankle but no mention of a drug test.

Still, concerns linger. A NFL scout that asked to remain anonymous was recently quoted by the San Jose Mercury News as saying, "There were already character concerns. His stock will drop significantly. ... He didn't interview great at the combine. People thought he was big-timing them -- everything was on his terms. And now this. He was probably in the 15-25 range before. But now he's probably late second round."

Allen was and is ranked as one of the top wide receivers in this year's draft class, even coming in as the No. 1 rated receiver in Cheesehead TV's own "Pro Football Draft Preview."

Whether the Packers would be interested in Allen at No. 26 overall or even in the second round if he's still available is up for debate.

Green Bay lost wide receivers Greg Jennings to free agency and Donald Driver to retirement during the offseason, perhaps lending credence to the notion that the Packers will be looking to re-stock the position through the draft.

Even with the losses of Jennings and Driver, however, the Packers still have a talented trio of receivers under contract in Jordy Nelson, James Jones and Randall Cobb, so it would be difficult for any rookie to be any more than fourth on the depth chart, at least in his first season.

Still, given the way the Packers throw the football under head coach Mike McCarthy, they'll continually be on the lookout for more weapons at the disposal of quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

Coincidentally, Rodgers and Allen both learned under the tutelage of former University of California coach Jeff Tedford, who Allen credits for him becoming a "film junkie."

"Working with my past coaches at California," Allen said of his film-work origins. "Coach Tedford, he's definitely big on film. Having the last coach I had, receivers coach Wes Chandler, he was definitely great on film."

In less than week, the Packers could be faced with a choice of selecting another first-round California product if he's still available in whatever round.

The question is, will Allen's injuries and off-field concerns steer the Packers clear of a top receiving prospect?

Brian Carriveau is the author of "It's Just a Game: Big League Drama in Small Town America," and editor of Cheesehead TV's "Pro Football Draft Preview." To contact Brian, email [email protected].