Football season always comes with plenty of surprises. And one of the players turning heads early with the New York Jets is rookie running back Braelon Allen. Many people have been surprised at the number of opportunities he’s seen in a stacked Jets backfield, with their starter being Breece Hall, one of the best players in the league.
Allen has long been quite a physical specimen. He tips the scales at 6-1, 235 pounds, with a physique that is absolutely shredded. He’s been averaging 5.1 yards per carry this year for the Jets. And for anybody who watched him over the years with Wisconsin. That’s no surprise.
Allen had 11 carries for 55 yards on Thursday Night Football against the New England Patriots. He’s continued to impress in his rookie campaign. Which left one poster on social media to comment, “How tf did Braelon Allen drop to the fourth round?”. On Friday morning, Allen didn’t waste much time in responding.
“Everyone wanted to see me run in my underwear to decide if I was a good football player,” Allen explained. The post has 4.2 million views.
He’s clearly taking a shot at NFL scouts and decision makers, who were disappointed that he decided to not run the 40-yard dash time in the evaluation process. The former Wisconsin star was also recovering from an ankle injury at the time, which possibly affected his decision to not run the 40-yard dash. He decided not to run the NFL Scouting Combine or at Wisconsin’s Pro Day. And perhaps that affected his draft stock. It’s something that he hasn’t forgotten about. And his point is a valid one, as he put pretty of impressive film on tape in his career with the Badgers.
Braelon Allen put up impressive numbers at Wisconsin
During his time with the Badgers, Allen cemented his place as one of the better backs in school history. In 35 games, he made 24 starts with Wisconsin. He wrapped up his career ranked ninth on the school’s all-time rushing yardage list (3,494 yards). Allen also ranked fourth in program history with 5.85 career yards per carry. He also finished sixth in Badger history with 20 career 100-yard rushing performances.
He had three seasons with 150-plus carries, 10-plus touchdowns, and a 5.25 yards per carry average, joining former Wisconsin legend Jonathan Taylor as the only two Big Ten running backs to accomplish the feat in three seasons. In 2022 and 2023, Allen brought home All-Big Ten second team honors.
He should be an exciting complement to watch with Breece Hall in the next couple of years.
