CJ Allen was a four star prospect and the #4 prospect in the state of Georgia coming out of high school. He played both linebacker and running back and in his senior season, Allen rushed for more than 1600 yards. The Barnesville, Georgia native decided to stay in his native state for college and played at the University of Georgia.
Allen made an immediate impact. Playing inside linebacker, he started five of the 14 games he played in during his first season and was named to the Freshman All SEC team.
Allen became a regular starter in 2024 and was second on the team in tackles.
2025 was Allen's best season as a Bulldog. He led in tackles and tackles for loss despite missing some time due to a torn meniscus suffered during a game in November. Allen was named All SEC, Associated Press All American and a finalist for the Dick Butkus award which is given to the top linebacker in the country.
In three seasons in Athens, Georgia, Allen played in 41 games and recorded 117 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks and 11 passes defended.
The 6'1", 235 pounder earned a reputation as a strong leader. Due to the in season knee surgery, Allen skipped the NFL Combine and only did position drills at Georgia's pro day.
Joe Marino provides draft analysis for WGR. His website is thejoemarino.com and you can also subscribe to his Locked On Bills podcast. Here are Joe's thoughts on Allen:
Positives:
He is a leader. He is a field general. He's the guy that you can give that green dot to and trust that the communication is going to be on point. Of course, a lot of experience running an NFL style defense at Georgia. I think he's a very controlled and instinctive football player. He's a very consistent finisher, sure tackler, doesn't miss, and I think he's got sufficient coverage ability when you ask him to take shallow zone drops and when leveraging running backs out of the backfield. There's three down appeal here and the big story is leadership, field general type guy.
Negatives:
I think he's got some hip tightness that really limits his overall range, both in coverage and when asking him to pursue out towards the sideline against the run. I don't think he has ideal man coverage skill. So if you're going to ask him to be a matchup style player and carry tight ends down the field, I think that's going to be a problem for him. I think overall, the lateral quickness, the change of direction skill is probably below average. Then, for a guy that you would label as a field general, assertive leader type, you do wish that he was a little bit more physical and consistent taking on blocks and playing off blocks.
The NFL Draft will be held April 23-25 in Pittsburgh.
The numbers are low at linebacker and CJ Allen from Georgia is one of the top prospects at that position.
