The Skinny (Ironic, no?)
Kaytron Allen arrived at Penn State as the less-heralded of two standout running backs, the other of course being Gatorade Player of the Year Nicholas Singleton. Allen showed he wasn’t against either sharing the backfield, or a competitive atmosphere, as he pledged to the Nittany Lions out of IMG in 2021 after Singleton had already committed.
The Virginia native took a backseat to Singleton but still appeared in all 13 regular season games as a freshman, finishing with 867
yards and 10 touchdowns. He followed that up in 2023 with just over 900 yards and seven scores, and continued improving his yardage numbers in his final two years, eclipsing 1100 yards in 2024 and earning more than 1300 yards and 15 scores as a senior this past season.
What You’re Getting
Allen is an extremely intuitive runner that is perfectly fine with taking short to medium gains, rather than going for the home run play. His patience, coupled with considerable strength and deceptive speed will certainly serve him well at the next level. These skills also make him consistently productive against a variety of defenses, unlike more than a few backs in this draft. He does not have the breakaway ability that a Coleman, Love, or Singleton possesses, but he will wear down defenses and pick up key first downs when it counts. If you’re looking for a productive backfield guy in the fourth or fifth round, Kaytron Allen is your Fatman.
