Braelon Allen scouting report: Exploring Wisconsin RB's strengths and weaknesses

Just outside the top 200 overall recruits in 2021 as a linebacker originally, Braelon Allen followed the tradition of big-time running backs at Wisconsin. He instantly jumped onto the national radar, turning 186 carries into 1268 yards and 12 touchdowns, making him a second-team All-Big Ten selection as a freshman.

Allen repeated those honors each of the following two years, putting up basically identical numbers in 2022 (even though his yards per carry decreased from 6.8 to 5.4), before finishing just under 1000 yards on the ground (on 181 carries) across 11 games last season. However, he caught a career-high 28 passes for another 132 yards, with 12 combined scores.

Details: 6-foot-1, 235 pounds; JR.

Breaking down Braelon Allen's scouting report

Braelon Allen #0 of the Wisconsin Badgers runs the ball for a touchdown during the second half in the game against the Purdue Boilermakers

Strengths

• Big back with the long speed to take it the distance.
• Great combination of explosiveness and power, running the ball with great balance and rhythm.
• When he can hit the hole at full speed, Allen will split those creases between bodies on the second and third level in a hurry.
• Tremendous ability to plant and transition from horizontal to vertical movement in one step and accelerate through on zone concepts.
• The way this guy can utilize jump-stops and little skips to allow the picture to develop is outstanding for a big back.
• Does a great job of using little head-fakes and jabs to get peaking D-linemen or linebackers leveraged the wrong way before slicing the opposite way past blockers
• Understands how to box the defense in on plays designed to hit inside if he sees an opportunity to bounce and then hit a jump-cut to get around a cheating contain player.
• Displays tremendous peripheral vision to ID some cutback lanes that based on the concept, not many backs would even consider.
• For a young player, Allen is already excellent at setting up safeties and even using teammates who can attach to defenders on the third level to great advantage.
• Covers more ground with those strides than defenders anticipate and is able to beat them to the sideline when they don’t respect it.
• The way Braelon Allen stutters his feet momentarily and how it freezes defenders on the edge allows him to bounce around them, yet when they’re leveraged outside, he will aim at the outside shoulder and slide underneath.
• While Allen may not put dynamic moves on safety in one-on-one situations necessarily, the way he approaches them and doesn’t commit early negates their ability to angle well against him and them not being able to run him down unless they flip around to chase from behind.
• Really excels at converting in short-yardage situations, with a knack for squirting through creases.
• His ability to drop the pads around the line of scrimmage and almost be parallel to the ground in order to break through wraps really stands out.
• Features an excellent spin move to bounce off contact and regains his balance without issues.
• Uses his off-arm very well to push off the chest of defenders in pursuit and not allow them to catch back up typically.
• Gained 54% of his rushing yards after contact (671 of 1242), never stopping his feet and pulling them out of the grasp of tacklers with regularity.
• Caught a career-high 28 passes as a junior.
• Shows no issues plucking the ball away from his frame and has some impressive one-handed snatches nearly outside his range on tape (only one drop in 2023).
• Has a solid base with his shoulders aligned with his hips in order to absorb force as blitzers charge into him, while adding in some perfect cut-blocks, where he actually flips guys.
• Consistently takes away the shortest path to the passer and sits down in the chair bracing for contact.
• Even when he’s mugged up in the opposite A-gap, Braelon Allen doesn’t panic and makes himself vulnerable to getting his hands swiped away.
• Showcases active eyes and good patience as a pass-protector without a direct assignment.

Weaknesses

• The re-acceleration even if he does avoid getting wrapped up around the line of scrimmage simply isn’t quite there, before the space around him closes again.
• Lacks some suddenness to work around bodies in space in an efficient manner without slowing his feet a whole lot.
• Only 31 of his 411 carries over the last two years went for 15+ yards (7.5%).
• Has rarely been deployed in pass-protection or as anything but a check-down option until this past season at least.
• Fumbled four times in 2023, needing to do a better job of bracing the ball in traffic and as he’s going to the turf.

Braelon Allen's 2024 NFL Draft projection

Braelon Allen #0 of the Wisconsin Badgers looks on against the Northwestern Wildcats

Probably nobody since his days in high school, through college and also heading into the pros wants to get in the way of this 245-pound battering ram with a head of steam. Braelon Allen packs a top-level combination of size and long speed, but also has pretty sweet feet to get to daylight considering that linear skill set.

That being said, it takes him a while to change gears when he has to stop and start, plus then he doesn’t veer around bodies in the open field in a way that maximizes his speed

With how little he was deployed in defined dropback situations, it’s tough to see Braelon Allen become more than an early-down thumper, but he can set the tone for an inside zone and gap-scheme offense along with having that cumulative effect on the guys across from him later on in games.

If paired with a more dynamic option who takes on the majority of the passing work, I could see a path for Allen hitting 1,000 rushing yards and double-digit touchdowns for a season at one point of his career, although it may not last forever. The great thing here? – Braelon Allen won’t even turn 21 years old until the conclusion of his rookie season.

Braelon Allen Grade: Early fourth round.

You might like other RB scout reports: MarShawn Lloyd; Trey Benson; Will Shipley; Jaylen Wright.