Braelon Allen is quickly proving to be an extremely valuable offensive weapon for the New York Jets as a rookie. His rapid ascent into NFL notoriety raises valid criticism of the league’s process for talent evaluation and its youngest active player openly mocked the flawed system after another strong performance on Thursday night.
It is valid criticism of a process that he is actively proving to be irrelevant.
Allen was drafted No. 134 overall in the fourth round of the NFL Draft after three extremely successful years at Wisconsin. The Badgers gave him the ball 597 times in 35 games. He ran for 3,494 yards on an average of 5.9 yards per carry. Some of the biggest and baddest defenses in college football had a very hard time bringing him down.
The tape was more than enough reason to draft Allen. There are very few things, if anything, that the 6-foot-1, 235-pound running back does not do well.
As good as he is, Allen is not someone who consistently separates from the pack and his speed is not what defines him. He also decided not to run the 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine or his pro day.
That might’ve given NFL organizations some concern when it comes to drafting him.
Joke is on them! Allen is averaging more than five yards per carry with a pair of touchdowns in his first three games as a professional. New England could not bring him down on Thursday night.
woah there, @BraelonAllen! @KyleBrandt… angry run???#NEvsNYJ on @NFLonPrime pic.twitter.com/tuycKURDVN
— New York Jets (@nyjets) September 20, 2024
The season has only just begun and there is a very long way to go. However, Allen is already proving to be a monster. Fans are quickly taking note of his early-season performance. They starting to wonder how he fell to the fourth round of the NFL Draft.
Allen made the answer very simple. His drop to 134 stems from his refusal to run the 40.
Everyone wanted to see me run in my underwear to decide if I was a good football player
— @Braelon Allen on X
Regardless of whether it is actually true or not, Braelon Allen raises a valid point. Why does the NFL place so much value in the combine and pro days when on-field video from real games provide a better understanding on a player’s talent? He’s doing just fine…