2024 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Wisconsin RB Braelon Allen

From now until the 2023 NFL Draft, we will scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top-10 picks, all the way down to Day 3 selections, and priority undrafted free agents. Today, a scouting report on Wisconsin RB Braelon Allen.

#0 BRAELON ALLEN, RB, WISCONSIN – (JUNIOR) 6010, 235 POUNDS

MEASUREMENTS

THE GOOD

— Has fantastic size with an athletic, chiseled frame
— Possesses good play strength to carry the load between the tackles
— Physical runner that can break through arm tackles and get yards after contact
— Runs hard behind his pads, often requiring more than one to bring him down
— Strong pass protector that plays with a solid base and a sound punch
— Will stonewall blitzers in their tracks in pass pro
— Capable pass catcher out of the backfield that was underutilized in college
— Has shown he can find the hole and hit it hard with burst and acceleration
— Builds up speed in the open field and can be hard to bring down from behind
— Has a nasty stiff arm to keep defenders off his frame
— Displays urgency in short-yardage and red zone situations, having a nose to convert
— One of the youngest prospects in history with a lot of mileage left

THE BAD

— Lacks that second gear as a runner to consistently pull away from defenses
— Takes a little bit to get going, needing a bit of a runway
— Size and tightness make it hard for him to change directions in tight spaces
— Displayed better burst and vision in 2021 and 2022 than in 2023
— Lacks elusiveness in the open field compared to smaller backs
— Can stand to play more to his size and carry that bully demeanor as a runner
— Has shown to have a fumbling issue this past season

BIO

— Junior prospect from Fond du Lac, Wisconsin
— Born January 20, 2004 (age 20)
— Four-star recruit by Rivals, playing both running back and safety
— Initially committed as member of 2022 class, but reclassified and joined Badgers in 2021
— Played in 12 games and started four in 2021 and carried the ball 186 times for 1,268 yards and 12 touchdowns along with eight receptions for 39 yards
— Started all 12 games in 2022 and carried the ball 230 times for 1,242 yards and 11 touchdowns along with 13 receptions for 104 yards
— Played in 11 games and started nine in 2023 and recorded 181 carries for 984 yards and 12 touchdowns along with 28 receptions for 131 yards
— Cut out gluten, dairy, fried food, and artificial sugars from his diet in 2023 and still managed to add 10 pounds to his frame while dropping his body fat percentage
— Life Sciences Communication major
— 3x Second team All-Big Ten (2021-23), Freshman All-American

TAPE BREAKDOWN

Wisconsin RB Braelon sticks out in the 2024 draft class for several reasons. First, he’s easy to notice coming off the bus with a strong frame that seems to be chiseled from stone since he was in high school. He has the size of some defensive ends in the backfield at running back. He’s also one of the youngest prospects in NFL Draft history, having just turned 20-years-old after reclassifying in high school to get to college a year sooner, getting to play his entire rookie season in the league before hitting legal drinking age.

When you pop in the tape on Allen, his size is the first thing that sticks out. It was rumored that his playing weight got up to 245 pounds last season, and he carries that weight extremely well on his frame. He uses his size to carry the load between the tackles as a physical runner, being able to run up the middle and run through contact, carrying defenders with him like you see in the two clips below against the Buckeyes this past season.

According to Pro Football Focus, of Braelon Allen’s 3,482 yards rushing at Wisconsin, 2,182 of them came after contact along with forcing 145 missed tackles. His size and physicality as a runner allows Allen to bounce off would-be tacklers as well as break through arm tackles rather routinely as you can see in the clips below. He runs over a defender in the first clip and carries another with him a few extra yards in the second clip as he shows a good blend of burst at the line of scrimmage and raw power and vision in the open field to elude defenders.

Allen is the dream back when it comes to short-yardage and goal line situations, having the size, strength, as well as the urgency to keep his legs churning and hit the hole hard to move the chains or reach pay dirt. Watch this rep against Nebraska a couple of years ago where Allen takes the handoff on 3rd-and-short, putting his shoulder down to reach the line-to-gain. He then proceeds to stay upright with a defender throwing his body into him, getting into the open field where he manages to reach the end zone without getting caught for the the long touchdown run.

While Allen is a big brute of a runner, he also demonstrates moments of having elusiveness in the open field, as well as the vision to find open running lanes and weave through traffic at the second and third levels of the defense. Watch the two clips below against Buffalo, where Allen shows off some nifty jump cuts as well as some quick feet to evade tacklers to get into the open field, taking both carries to the house for scores.

Another strong point for Allen is his capability as a pass protector when asked to stay home in the pocket. He possesses the strength, base and stopping power in his punch to halt blitzers in their tracks like you see in the clip below against the Buckeyes, coming across the formation to pick up the approaching defender and keep his quarterback clean on this pass attempt.

Still, Allen isn’t the fastest runner in the open field and often needs a runway to get up to full speed. He also lacks ideal quickness, and his vision wasn’t as good in 2023 as it was as a freshman and sophomore, being less decisive and missing open running lanes. He also struggled with fumbles in 2023, putting the ball on the ground too often like he did on back-to-back carries against the Buckeyes this season, losing the first one in the clip below and lost the second one as well, but managed to get back on top of it to keep the ball in Wisconsin’s possession.

CONCLUSION

Braelon Allen is a physically-imposing runner with the size and strength to carry the load for an offense. He lacks ideal speed and quickness, and struggled with vision and ball security issues this past season, but showed he can run with good burst in his first two seasons, having the makeup of a lead back in a committee that can also contribute in the passing game both as a pass protector as well as a capable pass catcher.

When coming up with a pro comparison for Allen, Brandon Jacobs came to mind as another giant runner who was even bigger than Allen (6’4, 267 pounds), but had sneaky burst and open field speed for his size. Jacobs was also a brute of a runner who was tough for one man to bring down in the open field, being the Giants’ lead runner for several seasons after getting drafted in the fourth round of the 2005 NFL Draft.

Allen also projects to go somewhere in the middle rounds of the draft after a down year, but could prove to be a good value pick for a team looking for a powerful early down runner with upside. The Steelers appear set at running back with Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren, and likely won’t spend an early-round pick on Allen. However, the thought of him complementing Harris’ running style for at least a season is tantalizing to say the least.

Projection:  Day 2/ Early Day 3
Depot Draft Grade: 8.0 – Potential Starter/Good Backup (3rd Round)
Games Watched: vs Ohio State (2023), vs Buffalo (2022), vs Rutgers (2022)