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.
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What did Braelon Allen say about NFL Draft?
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."
Everyone wanted to see me run in my underwear to decide if I was a good football player https://t.co/npblJ6ykjf
— Braelon Allen (@BraelonAllen) September 20, 2024
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.
Braelon Allen NFL Scouting Combine results
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.
Here's a look at how he fared on Combine day.
| Drill | Result |
| Vertical jump | 32" |
| Broad jump | 9'9" |
| Bench press | 26 reps |
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Braelon Allen stats
Beginning his NFL career as Breece Hall's backup, Allen has taken several snaps since his one-carry debut against the 49ers. He pulled in his first score off a 12-yard touchdown pass from Aaron Rodgers in the Jets' Week 2 win over Tennessee and became much more involved the following game versus New England.
Here's how Allen has performed so far through his first three NFL games.
2024 Jets stats
| GP | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LNG |
| 3 | 19 | 96 | 5.1 | 1 | 20 |
Allen cemented himself as one of the best ball-carriers in the country his first year at Wisconsin, playing in 12 games and earning Walter Camp Freshman All-American status. He was named to the All-Big Ten second team each of his three seasons as a Badger and rushed for over 100 yards in 18 of the team's wins during his 35-game career.
Here's a look at how Allen's senior year went before he declared for the 2024 NFL Draft.
2023 Wisconsin stats
| GP | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LNG |
| 11 | 186 | 1,268 | 6.8 | 12 | 71 |
