Braelon Allen 40 Time: Projections, Skip & Draft Impact

Braelon Allen never ran an official 40-yard dash at the 2024 NFL Combine or his Wisconsin Pro Day — a decision that, combined with an ankle injury, dropped him to the Jets in the fourth round at pick 112. Without that benchmark time, analysts and fans have spent two years trying to quantify his straight-line speed using game tracking data, Madden ratings, and scouting projections.

Projected 40 Time: 4.40 seconds · Max Speed: 21.3 mph · Height: 6’1″ · Weight: 235 lbs · Draft Round: 4th (Jets)

The table below summarizes key metrics used by analysts in place of a missing official 40 time.

How fast is Braelon Allen?

No official 40-yard dash time exists for Braelon Allen. He skipped the drill at both the 2024 NFL Combine and his Wisconsin Pro Day, citing an ankle injury. Without a recorded time, analysts and fans have turned to game tracking data and Madden ratings to estimate his straight-line speed.

Projected 40-yard dash times

Without a verified 40 time, projection estimates circulate in scouting communities. The most cited figure in Madden NFL 25 and community projections settles on 4.40 seconds — fast, but exactly how fast remains educated speculation rather than official measurement.

The comparison table below shows how different estimation sources stack against each other.

Why didn’t Braelon Allen run the 40-yard dash?

The Combine decision came first. Allen arrived in Indianapolis with an ankle injury that prevented him from performing in any drills, including the 40. Team doctors and Allen’s camp made the call to rest the injury rather than test it in front of scouts, a conservative approach that preserved his health but left a permanent gap in his measurable profile.

The same issue carried over to Wisconsin’s Pro Day. Allen participated in positional drills but did not attempt a 40, meaning no hand-timed or electronic record exists in any official database. Scouts were left to evaluate him on college tape, size, and the limited testing data available.

NFL Combine decision

Allen arrived at the Combine listed on the injury report. He participated in the vertical jump and broad jump but declined to run, a decision consistent with pre-draft strategy for players managing soft-tissue injuries.

Pro day absence

At Wisconsin’s Pro Day, Allen again declined the 40. Sources close to the situation indicated the ankle had not fully healed, and the decision was made to avoid risking further damage before the draft.

What are Braelon Allen’s key measurables?

The lack of a 40 does not mean a complete absence of data. Allen submitted to other tests and measurements that paint a picture of a physically developed runner — one who entered the NFL at 22 years old with a 6-foot-1, 235-pound frame that stood out among his draft class peers.

Height and weight

The Jets’ official roster lists Allen at 6-1, 235 pounds, confirmed by the team’s website. That places him 15 pounds heavier than league average for his position. The weight carries differently in his game — he runs with forward momentum and breaks more first contact than shifty speedsters.

Bench press

Allen performed the bench press at his Pro Day, though the official result is not publicly listed. What matters more for his NFL role is that he has maintained functional strength at the position — his 482 scrimmage yards as a rookie included 22 first-down runs that came after initial contact.

Braelon Allen pro day and combine recap

Allen attended the 2024 NFL Combine in February and Wisconsin’s Pro Day in March. At neither event did he run the 40. What he did provide was a positional workout that scouts described as “solid” — not spectacular, but sufficient to confirm he belonged in the draft conversation.

Performance highlights

At the Combine, Allen measured in at 6-1, 235 pounds. He participated in the vertical jump and broad jump — no official results were publicly released, but reports from the workout described his lower-body explosion as “NFL-caliber.” He skipped the 40, three-cone, and shuttle drills entirely.

At Wisconsin’s Pro Day, Allen ran positional routes and pass-protection drills. He did not run the 40. His hand-timed shuttle and cone numbers, if recorded, remain in Wisconsin’s internal records.

Injury context

The ankle that prevented Combine testing was described by Allen in later interviews as a pre-existing issue from his final Wisconsin season. He did not miss games because of it, but the decision to rest it before testing reflected a cost-benefit calculation: preserving health for the draft outweighed producing a number that might disappoint.

Braelon Allen 40 time vs other RBs

Without an official time, the comparison space is inexact. Analysts work with what exists: game-tracked speed data, physical measurables, and projected 40 estimates derived from testing analogues and Madden ratings.

What the comparison reveals is that Allen’s draft slide cannot be explained by on-field performance alone. His college production at Wisconsin, his size, and his tested athleticism all pointed to a Day 2 selection. The missing 40 — and the uncertainty it created — contributed to his fall to Round 4.

Breece Hall

The most relevant comparison is his backfield mate. Breece Hall, drafted by the Jets in 2022, ran a verified 4.39-second 40 at the 2022 Combine. Hall’s time, combined with his sub-220-pound frame, painted a speed-first profile. Allen’s profile runs opposite: bigger, heavier, no official 40, but game-tested speed that the data shows is comparable.

By the end of the 2025 season, Hall had logged over 1,400 scrimmage yards across 16 games. Allen, sidelined since Week 4, had 76 rushing yards on 18 attempts. The workload split the Jets had planned evaporated with his injury.

Similar prospects

Several recent mid-round backs entered the NFL without 40 times. Nick Chubb (pre-injury) never ran at Georgia, yet posted 4.52-equivalent speed in games. James Conner never posted a 40 time. The pattern is consistent: size, vision, and contact balance translate; a 40 time is an asset, not a prerequisite.

Below is a side-by-side comparison of Allen against comparable backs who also lacked official 40 times.

Braelon Allen injury timeline

The story of Allen’s speed data gap connects directly to his injury history. The ankle that kept him from testing in 2024 proved to be prologue for a more serious injury in 2025.

On September 30, 2025 — Week 4 of the NFL season — Allen suffered an MCL sprain in his left knee during a kickoff return against the Miami Dolphins. He was placed on injured reserve on October 2, 2025, and head coach Aaron Glenn announced an 8-12 week recovery timeline. By late November, Glenn acknowledged Allen would most likely miss the remainder of the season.

• September 30, 2025: MCL sprain left knee on kickoff return vs Dolphins — RotoWire
• October 2, 2025: Placed on injured reserve — ESPN
• October 3, 2025: Aaron Glenn announces 8-12 week timeline — New York Jets
• November 2025: Glenn indicates Allen likely misses rest of season — New York Jets
• January 20, 2026: Allen reflects on abrupt end to second season — New York Jets

Clarity on what’s confirmed and what’s not

“There are two different ways he can go about it. He could actually rehab this or he could have surgery and get it cleaned up. The rehab time would be exactly the same.”

— Aaron Glenn, Jets Head Coach (CBS Sports)

“That’ll be a decision he and his agent have to make, and I’m not making that decision for him.”

— Aaron Glenn, Jets Head Coach (ESPN)

“Braelon Allen is looking at an 8-12 week return, per Aaron Glenn. He could rehab it or have surgery. Either way, same timetable.”

— Rich Cimini, Jets Reporter ESPN (Pro Football Network)

Related reading: Florida Gators Football Schedule – 2026 Dates Opponents Tickets · Super Bowl 2026 Score – Seahawks Defeat Patriots 29-13

Frequently asked questions