10 draft prospects I'm crushing on for the Steelers this Valentine's Day

Steelers draft crush #5: Braelon Allen

In no way do the Steelers need to spend a significant draft pick on a running back this year, but if they do, I really want it to be Braelon Allen out of Wisconsin. If I were to build a running back in a lab, they would come out looking like Allen. He has the size (6’2, 245 pounds), but he also should test like a great athlete.

Allen was productive at Wisconsin, handling the majority of their running back work. He did a lot of damage in his three seasons, accumulating nearly 3800 total scrimmage yards and finding the end zone 35 total times. His power running is his best strength, which most would expect given his size.

That isn’t the only thing he does well. He has soft hands, and while he isn’t a potent route runner, he can take short passes and do some damage in space. He lacks lateral quickness, but he makes up for it with his straight-line speed. Once he gets up to speed, he can blow past defenders instead of just running them over.

My big concern is his college workload, as he took a lot of damage in his school years. That said, he should be getting more hype than what he currently has. If the team isn’t confident in Najee Harris long-term, Allen would be my dream replacement. While he may not end up with the Steelers, I am excited to watch his career at the next level.