Tyler Allgeier profile: Why the Atlanta Falcons drafted the RB in the 2022 NFL Draft
The Atlanta Falcons picked Tyler Allgeier with the 151st pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Allgeier stands at 5’11” and weighs in at 220 pounds. Not receiving any stars in his recruiting profile back in 2018, Allgeier had the same amount of carries as tackles (26 each) through his first two years at Brigham Young University.
However, he has produced big offensive numbers over the latter two years, touching the 164 times for 1,304 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2020, and then without Zach Wilson at quarterback, Allgeier became a true workhorse, touching the ball 304 times for 1,800 yards and 23 TDs this past season.
Tyler Allgeier's strengths
Allgeier combines good power and breakaway speed. He had several long touchdowns for the Cougars over the last two years. Allgeier takes those horizontal handoffs on wide zone runs and can bend well off that outside foot to get upfield, dragging that inside foot along to carve his path.
You see him recognize defenders that are supposed to get kicked out, try to slip their block, and punish them by getting outside. He can step next to a blocker and pivot or juke sideways to get to the other side of him.
Even if he has to get to a complete stop behind a teammate, he can squat down momentarily and quickly get back up to gear as he shoots through a different lane. Yet, there’s not much dancing in the backfield. Allgeier’s speed was also utilized on jet sweeps and for taking handoff motions.
You see him run a lot on the open field with his shoulders entirely north and then give a defender in space a sudden acceleration either way. He pulls those knees up high and has the galloping strides to run away from defenders.
Allgeier runs with his pads in front and lifts them through contact to constantly slip off opponents. There are a lot of arms swinging at him and pads popping, but he doesn’t get off track too much.
Allgeier keeps churning his legs to push the pile, making him an effective goal-line back for the Cougars. His 1,143 yards after contact were the second-most among backs in college football last season. Only five players eligible for this draft forced more missed tackles (76).
Allgeier can give your offense some attitude with his physicality. He keeps himself alive as a runner while also firing up his teammates with the fight he shows.
As a receiver, he was mostly limited to swing or slip routes and outlets, but he typically caught the ball. If you give him space, he will take it.
However, one of the best plays from Allgeier was one where he never actually touched the ball – last season, he had an excellent chase-down tackle and strip on what should have been a pick-six for Arizona State last season.
Tyler Allgeier's weaknesses
While he can plant and redirect so it doesn’t come off as problematic, Allgeier has an issue of overrunning plays and getting to the edge of a blocker too early with a defender shaded that way.
You see him stop his feet a lot and not allow himself to gain momentum. At that point, he is much easier to bring down. His speed is more built-up than explosive.
Running a 4.6 at the combine doesn’t match the fact that he’s had quite a few long TDs in college, where having one of the best run-blocking O-lines and playing some inferior physical opponents comes into play.
Plus, he’s not a very creative open-field runner. Allgeier shows good toughness as a pass-protector but has to do a better job of identifying the most significant threat and then striking up into the frame of his opponent on contact. He’s not proactive enough in that area, and he wasn’t entirely convinced with what he was supposed to do a couple of times.
Conclusion on Tyler Allgeier
Even though one would like to see more refined pacing and setting up run schemes, Allgeier is one of the better rushers coming out of the draft, thanks to the combination of power and ability to build up speed.
While there should be room to grow, he is not trustworthy on obvious passing downs and didn’t put in a lot of work as a receiver. If you have somebody to fill that role, he can be an explosive rusher early on, which adds an element of physicality to an offense as soon as he hits the field.
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