Wisconsin Badgers 2024 NFL Draft Primer: Who bites on Braelon Allen?

The NFL Draft (April 25-27) is right around the corner, and Wisconsin figures to have at least two players hear their name called throughout the seven rounds. Running back Braelon Allen and offensive lineman Tanor Bortolini are the Badgers' top prospects, while linebacker Maema Njongmeta rounds out the rest of the Badgers with a chance to hear their name called in Detroit.

Below, BadgerBlitz.com breaks down each player, offering comparisons, strengths/weaknesses, round projections and more.

OVERVIEW: After his mythical true freshman season, during which he rushed for 1,268 yards and 12 touchdowns on 6.8 yards-per-carry while famously just 17 years old, Allen's Wisconsin career never quite reached the same heights. That's not to say he fell off in any capacity — Allen still amassed 2,226 rushing yards and 23 touchdowns over the next two seasons. But several injuries limited the halfback later in his sophomore and junior seasons, and it was clear that he was playing at well under 100 percent at times.

Allen spearheaded the Badgers' backfield for three years under three different running back coaches. His signature trait was his power; his college highlight reel features seemingly endless clips of him bowling over hapless defenders. With his unique frame and physicality, Allen often won simply by being bigger and stronger than his opponent. That, of course, has led to several knocks on his ability. Namely, that he lacks burst and acceleration, and that he's a tight-hipped back who can't make moves in the open field.

No, Allen won't wow anyone with his speed. But what he lacks in track speed he makes up for with his downhill running. Once he's in the open field, catching up with him is only half the battle; you still actually need to bring him to the ground, which is easier said than done. The tailback is old-school. He doesn't want to go around you, he wants to go right through you.

Most NFL general managers won't see Allen as an every-down back, and perhaps that's fair. But he did actively work on his pass-blocking and receiving throughout his career. He went from eight catches in his freshman season to 13 as a sophomore and 28 as a junior. He also went from 13 pass-blocking opportunities his freshman year to 63 as a sophomore and 87 as a junior, per Pro Football Focus.

NFL COMPARISON: Packers RB AJ Dillon

Allen and Dillon are both physical specimens whose plan A, B and C is to run right through you. Neither can or should be counted on for a bell-cow role in an NFL offense, both both backs give you a powerful change-of-pace option that can wear down opposing defenses.

GREATEST STRENGTH: Power and physicality.

GREATEST WEAKNESS: Lack of quick feet and shiftiness.

DRAFT RANGE: Ceiling: High 2nd round. Floor: Low 5th round

OVERVIEW: Bortolini was a middle-of-the-pack, somewhat forgotten offensive line prospect when he decided to declare for the NFL draft. That is, until he tested among the best offensive linemen at the NFL Combine. With his pre-draft performance, he jettisoned into a possible late day two selection.

Bortolini put his athletic ability on full display in Indianapolis. Among offensive linemen, he finished first in the three-cone drill, first in the 20-yard shuttle, second in the 40-yard dash and third in the 10-yard split. Where he struggled was the bench press, finishing 25th out of 28 offensive linemen with 21 reps at 225 pounds.

Bortolini's impressive showing at the NFL combine surely helped reassure NFL scouts that he's the versatile, athletic lineman he played like in Madison. He started at four positions along the offense trenches during his tenure: center, right guard, left guard and right tackle. That experience, especially in the Big Ten and especially because he's a Wisconsin product, should work in his favor come draft night.

At the next level, Bortolini projects as a guard who can pull and get out in space in the running game. With his well-documented struggles at center in the snapping department, any pro team that finds itself relying on Bortolini to snap the ball could be in trouble. But again, his versatility remains his calling card, and that coupled with his stellar pre-draft process should have him near the top 100 players selected.

NFL COMPARISON: Free agent OL Mason Cole

Cole is bigger than Bortolini at 6-foot-5, but they are similar in their ideal role. You'd really rather not have Cole play center if possible, but he has enough interior lineman skills to be a serviceable guard.

GREATEST STRENGTH: Bortolini's versatility and experience starting at four different spots along the offensive line is absolutely his biggest strength.

GREATEST WEAKNESS: Lacks the strength to be a true body-mover at the next level.

DRAFT RANGE: Ceiling: Low 3rd round. Floor: Low 6th round.

OVERVIEW: Njongmeta's final season in Madison didn't exactly go as planned. After leading the team in tackles in 2022 with 95, he finished the 2023 campaign tied for fourth with 59. The linebacker was a glaring misfit in new defensive coordinator Mike Tressel's scheme, which requires inside linebackers to have excellent lateral quickness and open field ability. Njongmeta, meanwhile, is a linebacker in the mold of Jim Leonhard's defensive scheme — an old-school, downhill, north-and-south run-stuffer.

With the NFL's trend towards favoring off-ball inside linebackers, Njongmeta simply doesn't possess the skillset that most teams are looking for, especially those that want an every-down linebacker in the draft. Unfortunately for Njongmeta, his NFL Combine numbers only further proved his underwhelming speed: he finished last out of every linebacker in the 40-yard dash, 10-yard split and 20-yard shuttle, the only drills he participated in.

With that, Njongmeta is a late-round flyer of a prospect, a player you take banking on his upside as a Leonhard-developed linebacker, while simultaneously understanding his glaring weaknesses.

NFL COMPARISON: Steelers LB Mark Robinson

Both linebackers are the same compact size, about six feet tall and 230 pounds. Both linebackers are physical downhill run-stuffers who have a nose for the football. But neither is a linebacker you'd want in any sort of coverage or off-ball scenario. Robinson is the Steelers' fourth-stringer; that figures to be about the sweet spot for Njongmeta as well, provided he makes a roster.

GREATEST STRENGTH: Violent, heavy-handed inside presence.

GREATEST WEAKNESS: Lack of lateral quickness.

DRAFT RANGE: Ceiling: 7th round. Floor: Un-drafted free agent.

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