At just three games into his NFL career, the youngest player appears to be a rising star. However, how did the running back for the New York Jets fare until the fourth round (134th overall) of the 2024 draft?
After yet another spectacular performance against the New England Patriots (55 yards rushing, 13 yards receiving), Allen answered a fan’s question.
When a fan tagged Allen on X on Friday, he wrote, “Everyone wanted to see me run in my underwear to decide if I was a good football player.”
Perhaps as a result of his lack of performance in the 40-yard dash, three-cone drills, and shuttle at the NFL Combine, Allen was vocally criticizing clubs that passed on him. The current backup quarterback for the Jets showed up for tests and interviews.
Even if three games don’t create a career, this illustrates how the NFL and the sports industry as a whole are fixated on “measurables” and statistics. It wasn’t as though Allen was an unknown college player—during his three seasons at Wisconsin, he gained 3,494 yards and 35 touchdowns by rushing.