New York Jets rookie running back Braelon Allen has gotten off to a strong start this season, prompting some fans to wonder how he fell to the fourth round of the 2024 draft. Allen responded cheekily on social media on Friday, saying prospective teams "wanted to see me run in my underwear" during the pre-draft process. Allen wasted no time proving his prognosticators wrong, as he's been one of New York's most impactful players over the past two weeks. The 20-year-old, who is the youngest player in the NFL, scored his first touchdown on a pass from Aaron Rodgers and rushed for the go-ahead score in the fourth quarter of the Jets' Week 2 win against the Tennessee Titans. Allen was voted as the AFC Rookie of the Week, and he followed that up by recording a team-high 55 yards in Thursday night's win against the New England Patriots. He's impressed with his ability to run through contact and punish defenders whenever he touches the ball. The Jets appear to have found a gem with Allen falling to the fourth round of the draft. He's combined with third-year star Breece Hall to create one of the most promising backfield duos in the NFL. New York (2-1) will be seeking its third straight win when it hosts the Denver Broncos in Week 4, and it can be expected that Allen will continue to have a major role on offense going forward.
Jets rookie running back Braelon Allen turned in a strong performance on Thursday night, carrying 11 times for 55 yards in a win over the Patriots. And he thinks he’s showing that NFL teams should regret letting him fall until the 134th overall pick in the draft.
“Everyone wanted to see me run in my underwear to decide if I was a good football player,” Allen said.
At 6-foot-1 and 235 pounds, running fast in a straight line isn’t necessarily Allen’s strong suit, and he was still recovering from a college ankle injury that made him decide not to get tested in the 40. That may have affected his draft stock, but it’s a distant memory now that he’s in the league.
The New York Jets defeated the New England Patriots, 24-3, on Thursday night to improve to 2-1 on the season. Rookie running back Braelon Allen was once again an integral part of the offense in a complementary back role to starter Breece Hall. Allen led the Jets in rushing on Thursday, carrying the ball 11 times for 55 yards, while adding three receptions for 13 yards.
After another strong performance, Allen was asked by a fan on social media how he fell to the fourth round in April's NFL draft. Allen, who was one of the top running backs in the country at Wisconsin coming out of college, provided a perfect response in an ode to the NFL combine.
“Everyone wanted to see me run in my underwear to decide if I was a good football player,” Allen posted on X.
The New York Jets may have found a steal in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft when they selected former Wisconsin running back Braelon Allen with the No. 134 overall pick. Despite being one of the youngest players in the entire class and possessing excellent size at 6-foot-1, 235 pounds, there were nine running backs selected over him.
In his first three NFL games, Allen has rushed 19 times for 96 yards and a touchdown, and caught six passes for 45 yards and another score. While the Jets have a superstar in the backfield with Breece Hall, New York's staff has already deemed the 20-year-old Allen worthy of some touches in Aaron Rodgers' offense.
How did Allen fall to the fourth round in this past draft? It was a question being asked on social media. Allen took time to answer that question Friday, and he blamed the amount of importance placed on the NFL Combine, or "Underwear Olympics."
"Everyone wanted to see me run in my underwear to decide if I was a good football player," Allen wrote.
Allen did attend this year's combine, but did not participate in every drill. For example, he did not run the 40-yard dash -- a drill which fans and pundits give too much attention to.
Braelon Allen has been a bright spot for the Jets through three weeks, which has given him the opportunity to take a jab at the NFL draft process.
Through three games, he has 19 carries for 96 yards — more than five yards per carry — with two touchdowns. It seems like he bowls over defenders every time he gets the ball.
After Allen looked impressive again as the Jets defeated the Patriots on Thursday night, an X user asked earnestly, “How tf did @BraelonAllen drop to the fourth round?” Allen, who starred at Wisconsin, responded, “Everyone wanted to see me run in my underwear to decide if I was a good football player.” Allen skipped the athletic portion of the scouting combine, opting out of the 40-yard dash, three-cone drills and shuttle. He was on the lower end of the rankings in the vertical leap and broad jump, and also dropped passed during simulated rushes. Despite racking up 3,494 yards on 597 rushes over three seasons with the Badgers — accounting for 35 scores on the ground — the forces conspired to see the 6-foot-1, 235-pounder fall to the 134th overall pick, a compensatory selection for Gang Green.
Braelon Allen is a good running back, as we've seen so far with the New York Jets. He's been the thunder to Breece Hall's lightning and ran for 55 yards on Thursday on just 11 carries. And that made everyone wonder: how did the running back out of Wisconsin fall to the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft?
One X (formerly Twitter) user asked that out loud, and Allen had this to say in response: "Everyone wanted to see me run in my underwear to decide if I was a good football player." Ah, yes. A reference to the NFL Combine. LOL!
Jets rookie Braelon Allen impressed in his team's "Thursday Night Football" win against the Patriots this week, turning in his best performance in three appearances so far. The youngest player in the NFL this year, the 20-year-old running back had 11 carries for 55 yards and three catches for 13 yards in the 24-3 victory. As he begins to make a name for himself in the league, many are wondering how the Wisconsin product slipped all the way to the fourth round of the 2024 Draft before New York picked him 134th overall. The morning after Thursday's game, Allen responded to a social media post about just that and poked fun at the NFL Scouting Combine in the process.
Here's everything to know about the running back's NFL Draft slide, including why it led to his joke about the combine.
On Friday morning, Niko Tsiolas (@TheStuze) directed a post at Allen on X (formerly Twitter), writing: “How tf did @BraelonAllen drop to the fourth round” accompanied by a sobbing emoji.
Just 30 minutes later, Allen quoted the tweet, saying: “Everyone wanted to see me run in my underwear to decide if I was a good football player.” His response becomes clear with the knowledge that Allen didn't run at the 2024 NFL Combine. He participated in interviews and drills but skipped the athletic testing, including the 40-yard dash, three-cone drills and shuttle run.
At the time, he was recovering from “lower body issues” sustained during his last season with the Badgers. Later that same month at Wisconsin's pro day, Allen also opted out of the 40 and agility drills.
His response to the social media post references the fact that no one saw him run in traditional NFL Scouting Combine garb—skin tight shorts that resemble underwear—and that contributed to his eventual NFL Draft slide. Though he missed the running drills at the 2024 Combine in March, Allen still participated in the vertical jump, broad jump and bench press. He didn't have a stellar performance, ranking in the bottom five for both his vertical and broad jumps after measuring in at 6-1 and 235 pounds. Both drills are meant to simulate an athlete's explosiveness, and Allen's struggles could have been another reason his Draft position slipped.
