ST. JOSEPH, Mo. -- In three days, Cyrus Allen has done more than the Kansas City Chiefs could've expected. In fact, he has been more than just impressive. He has the Chiefs dreaming and recalculating what he could be in the NFL.
Allen, a rookie receiver the Chiefs drafted in the fifth round, has emerged as one of the team's top developments in the opening week of training camp. Each day, Allen's snaps with quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the rest of the first-team offense have increased -- and so have his highlights.
Friday's two-hour practice was quite the crescendo, too. The loudest roars -- and the sudden "Whoa!" -- from fans were not in reaction to tight end Travis Kelce, running back Kenneth Walker III or any defensive player. Allen dominated the on-field work, leading all receivers with five catches during the projected starters' 11-on-11 repetitions. In the first such period, Mahomes threw a perfect intermediate pass, placing the ball between three defenders for Allen to make a leaping, outstretched one-handed catch. Even when safety Alohi Gilman attempted to punch the ball out with his right hand, Allen maintained control when he landed on the turf.
"He's done a nice job," coach Andy Reid said Friday of Allen. "The quarterback trusts him."
Indeed, Mahomes demonstrated his growing confidence in Allen as Friday's practice progressed.
In the first 7-on-7 period, Mahomes went through his reads during one rep, surveying the field before finding Allen as his third option. Running a fade route, Allen and Mahomes connected on a contested back-shoulder pass near the sideline, the highlight occurring against Nohl Williams, who has been the Chiefs' best cornerback so far in camp. Just as the ball arrived, Allen showed the body control to turn away from Williams and catch the ball away from his body while staying in bounds.
"This isn't even surprising [to me]," fellow receiver Xavier Worthy said of Allen. "He's going to continue showing out in camp."
Listed at 5-foot-11 and 180 pounds, Allen entered camp expecting to compete against Nikko Remigio and Jalen Royals for the No. 4 receiver role. Through three days, based on his stellar production, Allen has quickly elevated himself over Remigio and Royals, earning the opportunity to stay in the huddle with Mahomes when the Chiefs have their first padded practice Monday.
"It's still a surreal moment for me because I used to play the [Madden NFL] game with Pat a lot," Allen said Sunday of Mahomes. "I'm pretty familiar with what he [does]. That was my favorite team."
Allen will soon be one of Mahomes' favorite receivers -- next to Worthy, Rashee Rice and Tyquan Thornton -- if he continues to do what he did late in Friday's practice. In the final 11-on-11 period, Mahomes noticed before the snap that Allen was matched up against man-to-man coverage from rookie cornerback Mansoor Delane, the Chiefs' top draft pick. Allen used a quick release to get by Delane, burning his teammate downfield for a long completion.
Last season, Mahomes' collection of receivers struggled to get open quickly when they ran routes against man-to-man coverage. Rice, the Chiefs' top receiver, averaged just 5.9 yards per target, ranking 45th among the league's wideouts. The Chiefs also had to alter the routes Worthy could run throughout last season after he sustained a right shoulder injury -- one that required surgery this offseason -- when he collided with Kelce on a crossing route early in the Week 1 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.
Allen was able to run a crossing route Friday, ultimately catching a low pass from Mahomes against tight coverage from nickel cornerback Chris Roland-Wallace.
"Everything is pretty much timing," Allen said of working with Mahomes. "This [isn't] college anymore. This is big-boy ball. I'm on his time, and everything is very precise."
Allen, 23, was a late bloomer in college. After two seasons at Louisiana Tech and another at Texas A&M, Allen thrived during his senior year at Cincinnati. Connecting immediately with quarterback Brendan Sorsby, Allen recorded 51 receptions for 674 yards and 13 touchdowns, tying Cincinnati's single-season receiving touchdown record.
When running routes against man-to-man coverage last season, Allen had a 75% success rate, according to Reception Perception.
"Cyrus is talented, and he was just under the radar," said Ryne Nutt, the Chiefs' vice president of player personnel. "He went to the American Bowl, which was kind of a lesser all-star game, and he blew it out of the water. He showed foot speed, quickness and route running. He was routing dudes up left and right on the field, enough so to get him invited to the Senior Bowl.
"And at the Senior Bowl, he does the same thing to these top corners. Right there, we knew this kid was a competitor."
The more the Chiefs scouted and interviewed Allen late in the draft process, the more they learned that he is as diligent as a student as he is a skillful receiver.
"I'm a guy that tries to learn the whole playbook, even the [pass] protections [for offensive linemen]," Allen said. "That's how I'm thinking [when running routes] so I can be available if my number is called."
Allen has helped the offense off the ball as well. One example came during the 7-on-7 period inside the red zone. Against man-to-man coverage, Allen ran his rub route well to create more space for Walker, who was open for a short completion.
Reid and new receivers coach Chad O'Shea have worked with Allen to see how fast he can improve his pre-snap awareness, so that he can better anticipate the secondary's coverage to make quicker decisions on how to best run his route. Allen has also realized it's best to make a decisive decision quickly whenever he has an option route to ensure he has a chance to make eye contact with Mahomes.
In June, the first teammate to express just how well Allen was doing as a quick study was Worthy, who is entering his third year in Kansas City.
"He's an electric route runner," Worthy said of Allen. "He has the explosion, good ball skills, hands and he's a smart player. Cyrus definitely has a special ability."
Throughout this week, Reid has spent time giving Allen one-on-one coaching between reps. One of those moments occurred Friday, after Allen ran a short route and Mahomes' pass fell incomplete.
"He's got to clean some things up, but he's willing to work at it," Reid said of Allen. "He's had a productive [three] days. You've got to keep stacking those as you go. There are little things, just subtle teaching points on routes. Chad O'Shea does a great job with him, but if I see something I want to just communicate it to him, I try to get that to him [quickly]."
The next challenge for Allen will be proving he can continue to make highlights with Mahomes during the padded practices, when defenders can be more physical at the line of scrimmage and when a pass is delivered. When camp began, Allen vowed that he would be ready for all of the tests ahead because of the work he put in before arriving at Missouri Western State's campus, where the Chiefs hold training camp.
"I worked extremely hard to be here," Allen said. "Nothing was given. I earned everything, so I'm pretty happy with myself. But I still have that underdog mentality that I live by every day, so every day I come to work willing to learn."
