Braelon Allen 2024 Dynasty Rookie Profile
Braelon Allen 2024 Dynasty Rookie Draft Profile
Position: RB
School: Wisconsin
Class: Junior
Date of Birth: January 20, 2004
Height: 6-2 Weight: 235 lbs
Athletic Testing
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Bio
Braelon Allen is one of the youngest prospects in the 2024 draft class. He got his start at Fond Du Lac High School in Wisconsin where he played running back, linebacker, and safety, as well as returned kicks. In seven games as a junior, Allen rushed for 1,039 yards and 12 touchdowns on just 71 carries, scoring 23 total touchdowns. Despite his prolific rushing stats, Allen was actually recruited (four starts) as a linebacker initially. He ended up committing to Wisconsin as a running back, though, as part of the 2022 class. However, Allen was able to graduate high school a year early and join the Badgers in 2021.
At just 17 years old, Allen led the Badgers in rushing with 1,268 yards on 186 attempts. He did that by rushing for 100 yards in seven-straight games. Allen became just the fourth true freshman to hit the 1,000-yard mark in school history alongside Ron Dayne (1996), James White (2010) and Jonathan Taylor (2017), per the school’s website. Allen capped off his incredible first season with a 159-yard outing against Arizona State on his way to being named the 2021 Las Vegas Bowl MVP.
As a sophomore in 2022, Allen ran for 1,242 yards on 230 carries. He added another 104 yards on 13 receptions and scored 11 total touchdowns. His 984 yards in 2023 ranked third in the Big Ten while his 5.4 yards per carry were tops in the conference. He also hauled in 28 passes for 131 yards and finished the season with 12 touchdowns.
College Stats
Braelon Allen College Stats Courtesy of sports-reference
Positives
+Size
+Physical
+Power & Strength
+Vision
+Decisive runner
+Ran for over 1,200 yards and 12 TDs as a freshman (17 years old)
+33% TD share in 2023
+Will be 20 years old for the entirety of his rookie season
Negatives
-Pass Protection
-Lacks receiving skills
-Lacks elusiveness in the open field
-Not a fit in all running schemes
-Lacks breakaway speed
-Poor stop/start ability
-Lacks explosion
-1.2 yards per team play in 2023
Highlight Reel
Archetype: Grinder
NFL Comp: AJ Dillon
Draft Projection: Day 2
Bottom Line:
Braelon Allen is a massive running back, standing at 6-2, and nearly 240 lbs. Unsurprisingly, his game is built around a downhill running style, utilizing his strength and power to physically dominate defenses between the tackles. Allen runs with good vision and is decisive on choosing a lane and blasting through the hole. He may lack in explosion, breakaway speed, and open field elusiveness, but he makes up for it with his tackle-breaking ability and knack for falling forward for additional yardage after contact.
Allen is built for a heavy workload at the NFL level. He has a frame that can handle 20+ carries week in and week out. He will need to land on a team that runs a rushing scheme that will fit his skill set. He’s certainly not the run to the tackles, put a foot in the ground and go type guy that you would see in Miami, for example. A more of a gap/power scheme would be perfect. Allen projects as a team’s primary between the tackles grinder and goal line back. He will be best paired with a fast/quick backfield mate who can come in on passing downs because Allen is below average across the board when it comes to the receiving game. A landing spot like the Titans to replace Derrick Henry and to work alongside Tyjae Spears would be an ideal fit.
Braelon Allen will likely hear his name called on Day 2 of the NFL Draft. His performance at the Combine will likely determine whether it’s round two or round three. He has a shot to be the first running back drafted but could fall as far as RB4 or RB5 with no clear top backs in this class. The same could be said for dynasty where Allen will have a wide range of potential draft slots in rookie drafts. He could go as high as the middle of the first in single quarterback leagues or as low as the late second. His ADP will settle somewhere in between. His fantasy football ceiling is somewhat capped given the lack of receiving game usage and the athleticism to create breakaway runs. He is a young prospect, though, so his dynasty lifespan will likely be longer than most.
NEXT: Xavier Worthy 2024 Dynasty Rookie Profile
Resources: DLF, PlayerProfiler, PFN, PFF, TDN
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