How Wisconsin RB Braelon Allen can use junior season as a 2024 NFL Draft springboard -

Dane Brugler has released his 2024 NFL Draft Big Board.

During Melvin Gordon’s final season at Wisconsin in 2014, a remarkable campaign that resulted in a second-place Heisman Trophy finish, he averaged 24.5 carries per game. No member of the team came within 196 carries of Gordon’s 343 total attempts, which ranked second in the FBS.

During Jonathan Taylor’s final season at Wisconsin in 2019, he averaged 22.9 carries per game. No member of the team came within 246 carries of Taylor’s 320 attempts, which ranked second in the FBS. Both players eclipsed 2,000 yards rushing, won the Doak Walker Award for nation’s best running back, left school with one year of eligibility remaining and became NFL Draft picks.

They are the two players whose blueprint Braelon Allen hopes to follow. Allen, who will be a junior at Wisconsin this season, is staring down the same path Gordon and Taylor once galloped, hoping he can use his performances to springboard him into becoming an early entrant into the NFL Draft next spring.

But for as much as Allen wants to measure himself against recent Badgers greats, what success looks like for him may be drastically different. At least, Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell hopes so when it comes to workload.

“I would love to see him average at the end of the year 18 carries a game for about 140 (yards),” Fickell said on Big Ten Network during the league’s media days event Thursday. “Meaning that if that’s the case, we’re going to have the best version of Braelon that we need. If you carry it 30, by the end of the year, it does wear you down. You can be 245 pounds like he is and be as physical as he is, but it still takes a toll. I think we all have to recognize that, and he’s got to be one to recognize that as well.”

Wisconsin is in the midst of a drastic scheme overhaul as offensive coordinator Phil Longo implements his version of the Air Raid offense. And while Longo has reiterated the importance of run-pass balance, the ratio of plays compared to past Wisconsin seasons is going to change. Longo’s offenses at North Carolina from 2019-22 averaged 71.8 plays per game compared to Wisconsin’s 67.1 plays per game, according to TruMedia. The Tar Heels averaged 32.6 pass attempts per game, while the Badgers averaged 25.1.

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The Badgers also have two running backs with Allen and Chez Mellusi that they hope can help spell each other. Both players have battled injuries the past two seasons, which has prevented them from playing in every game. When Longo had two 1,000-yard rushers at UNC in 2020, one player carried the ball 157 times and the other player 156 times.

Allen, for his part, is saying the right things about how he might be utilized.

“I want to be able to put myself in a position to where if the opportunity presents itself, I’ll be able to be drafted as high as possible,” Allen said. “But I just want to win. That’ll be the main thing that gets me to where I want to be is winning, whether I’ve got to carry it 25 times or 10. So just be the best player I can be, the best teammate. Putting us in a position to win is the main focus.”

Braelon Allen has 2,510 rushing yards in two seasons. (Robert Goddin / USA Today)

Regardless of statistics, Allen is optimistic that he can become a draft-ready prospect this season. He said he believes he has a high ceiling for growth considering he has only played the position full-time for two seasons. Allen initially was recruited out of high school as a safety and then a linebacker because of his size but thrived as a running back during a modified spring prep season in 2021 and switched to the position at Wisconsin. Allen also reclassified and skipped a year of high school to enroll in college at 17 years old.

Dane Brugler, an NFL Draft analyst for The Athletic, lists Allen as the No. 2 draft-eligible running back in the 2024 draft. Brugler noted that while Allen might not have some of the explosive elements to consistently make defenders miss, his physicality, initial burst and “instinctive tempo to help him clear the line of scrimmage and attack the second level” were impressive. Brugler praised Allen’s footwork, vision and acceleration in a big body and said he has the makeup of an NFL starter as a rookie, even though he will likely be the youngest prospect in the draft class.

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To help achieve that objective, Allen said first-year Wisconsin running backs coach Devon Spalding identified pass protection as a key area of improvement, which makes sense considering how much more the Badgers figure to throw this season. Pro Football Focus gave Allen a pass blocking grade of 40.3 last season, which was among the lowest on the team (though ahead of running backs Mellusi and Isaac Guerendo). Allen allowed six pressures and two sacks on 63 opportunities.

“The technique that he brought and he has taught us running backs has helped me tremendously throughout spring ball, the other parts of the summer,” Allen said. “I think that’s very important for people to see is how well I can protect the quarterback.”

Allen also wants to develop as a pass catcher and should have ample opportunity to be targeted based on how spring practices progressed. Both Gordon and Taylor used their final seasons to show their pass-catching improvement.

Gordon caught 19 passes for 153 yards with three touchdowns. He had three catches for 75 yards in his career before 2014. Taylor caught 26 passes for 252 yards and five touchdowns. He had 16 career catches for 155 yards and no touchdowns entering 2019. Allen has 21 receptions for 143 yards and no touchdowns.

“If I can kind of refine those areas, specifically pass protection and pass catching, I’ll be setting up myself well to have a big season,” Allen said.

Where Allen hopes to thrive in Wisconsin’s new offense is facing lighter boxes, given how the Badgers will now spread defenses out with their passing attack. According to TruMedia, Wisconsin faced eight or more defenders in the box on 61.4 percent of its rushing attempts last season, the fourth-highest rate in the country ahead of only the three service academies.

Allen’s downhill style made him difficult to bring down even with extra defenders at the line of scrimmage. His average of 6.03 yards per rushing attempt (minimum 300 career carries) ranks fourth in school history behind Gordon (7.79), Taylor (6.67) and James White (6.24). He has rushed for 2,510 yards with 23 touchdowns during his first two seasons and already ranks 16th in program history in career rushing yards.

“This new system opens it up for him,” Badgers inside linebacker Maema Njongmeta said. “He’s already had so much success against packed boxes and now the box is open. I know he’s foaming at the mouth to get after it and run the ball this year.”

Wisconsin quarterback Tanner Mordecai said he believes Allen has “the full package” because of his combination of vision, explosion and ability to gain yards after contact.

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Allen was an impressive physical specimen even as a true freshman. He was listed at 235 pounds as a sophomore last season and said he has consistently weighed in for this season at about 245 pounds. Brady Collins, Wisconsin’s director of strength and conditioning, said that despite Allen’s weight increase, “he’s leaner, he’s stronger, he’s faster, he’s healthier.”

Allen traveled in May to Florida, where he worked with Jerry Seymour, a running backs coaching specialist who founded the Running Back Academy and has trained both Gordon and Taylor. Allen previously made two trips there before last season. This time around, one of the players Allen trained with was his idol Gordon, the first time they have worked out together.

Allen said he talked this offseason to Gordon and Taylor about their approaches during their final college seasons, though he politely declined to go in detail on those conversations. The gist? Work hard. Win games. The rest will take care of itself.

“At the end of the day,” Allen said, “you don’t want to leave any stones unturned.”

(Photo: John Fisher/Getty Images)

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