Age - 20 yr
Height - 6' 1"
Weight - 235 lb
Vertical - 32"
Broad Jump - 9' 9"
Bench Press - 26 reps
Braelon Allen came to the University of Wisconsin as a four-star safety and was converted to running back. In that new position he sacrificed some speed for a lot of power packing on 35 solid pounds by the end of his tenure. Allen is now 6’1” 235 lbs and plays like he’s 250. The thing that stands out most when watching him run is his willingness to initiate devastating contact. Allen rarely goes down of first contact. Defenders routinely bounce off him as he lowers his shoulder and introduces them to the earth. Allens rushing style is not flashy. He primarily is a one cut and go type rusher. He has very good timing and contact balance which frequently allows him to advance to the second level and from there it’s typically a dog pile to bring him down. Allen has produced two seasons of over 1200 yards in his three seasons as the primary back and over the course of his collegiate career averages an impressive 5.8 yards per carry.
As you can imagine Allen has some flaws as well. The two glaring areas I would fault Allen are for straight line speed and self preservation. Although Allen has sufficient short area burst he seems to be lacking in both lateral agility and top speed. He manages to get through first contact and into the secondary enough for optimism, but he will very rarely outrun defenders in a foot race which means you won’t see Allen breaking many long runs. More often than not he gets dragged down from behind. Unfortunately, Allen has chosen not to run a 40 yard dash at his pro-day or combine so his long speed is not verifiable. I also would be concerned with Allen’s health in the NFL, as his physicality and willingness to initiate contact can be a double-edged sword. There are times where Allen takes unnecessary abuse and brutal contact and when matched up against NFL defenders, he will not win those battles at the same rate.
Allen has also been faulted in the draft process for his pass blocking and his receiving production, but the film evaluation in both of those areas is not overly concerning. Although his pass protection might not be characterized as a strength, I would not consider it to be a weakness and he definitely possesses the frame and physicality to improve in that area in the NFL. As a pass catcher Allen’s route tree is quite limited, because like most Wisconsin backs, he was not used often in that respect. He seems to be proficient as a pass catcher when given the opportunity.
As a prospect I would compare Braelon Allen to a player like D’Onta Foreman before injury. I’d love to see him get drafted to a team that has an established 3rd down back that could compliment the areas in which he struggles. I think he could pair very well in an offense like Buffalo to work opposite of James Cook and develop somewhat of a thunder and lightning dynamic. I’d expect him to be drafted mid to late day two most likely in the third round of the NFL draft. Before knowing landing spots and in a less exciting 2024 rookie RB class, I’d have Allen as my 3rd ranked RB, just behind Jonathon Brooks and ahead of Blake Corum.
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