C.J. Allen, Georgia's rising linebacker, is quickly gaining recognition as a future NFL star and potential top 2026 draft pick. In this video, Joe DeLeone and Ryan Roberts break down CJ Allen’s highlights, showcasing why he's a dominant force on the field. Could CJ Allen be the next Butkus Award winner? Dive in and discover why he's one of the most underrated defensive prospects in college football.
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00:00C.J. Allen isn't getting the attention he deserves, but that might change fast.
00:05Could the 2026 NFL Draft's biggest breakout come from a linebacker?
00:09Stay tuned to find out why we think he is the best player that you need to know.
00:17Ryan, I'm all in on C.J. Allen, the Georgia linebacker.
00:21How do you have him graded in this 2026 class?
00:25I think he's going to be a first-round pick, Joe.
00:26I think he is Roquan Smith all over again for Georgia fans out there.
00:32I think the body type is similar.
00:33I think the athleticism, the range is similar.
00:36This kid is a pretty easy evaluation.
00:38I know some people are going to look at his size and kind of have question marks there,
00:41but the range, the instincts, it's all there to be a really good player, man.
00:46He's one of my highest-rated players at the current moment,
00:49and we were having a little bit of a discussion last night about a different player,
00:54and I brought up, we were talking about Kayla Banks,
00:57and I brought up how Kayla Banks is one of the few guys that I was like,
01:00whoa, C.J. Allen is the other guy,
01:03and I don't think I can name anyone else where I watched their tape
01:06and I was just completely blown away.
01:09The instincts that you just talked about, it is very reminiscent of Roquan Smith.
01:12I think the one thing that shines for me is the explosiveness
01:16and the burst that he's able to generate in short areas.
01:20He's not going to be a 4-4 guy in terms of long speed.
01:24His instincts make up for that,
01:26but the way that he's able to just explode through ball carriers,
01:30explode through blockers, clear space for himself,
01:33and then finish plays, that is the dangerousness.
01:36He is exactly what I think that the modern-day inside linebacker is in the NFL,
01:42and if he ends up being a top-10 pick like Roquan Smith was,
01:47like Devin White was, I wouldn't be stunned
01:49because he checks every single box that we look for in a linebacker prospect.
01:54Well, I do think he's the modern Mike
01:55because he's a very interesting player
01:57because he has range to play outside of the tackle box,
02:00outside of the numbers,
02:01but he is also physical and a downhill player
02:04where he, even with a lighter box,
02:07he is able to be a plus run defender very early on in his career
02:11because he plays with reckless abandon to a degree,
02:14but he also comes to balance and has a power profile
02:17to be able to knock dudes back both at the point of attack
02:20and as a tackler.
02:21So I didn't really think he is just a very well-rounded football player.
02:25There are some things that I necessarily wouldn't ask him to do in a defense,
02:28but for that modern Mike linebacker role
02:31who's going to be super physical
02:32and have to play outside of the numbers when he has to,
02:34I think that he can do anything
02:35that a team will want him to do from that position.
02:38Right. I'm not really asking him to cover a ton of range
02:42and a ton of space.
02:43He's compact.
02:44If that was the one weakness to identify
02:47is that he's not very big.
02:49He doesn't have a lot of length.
02:50I was listening to a clip of one of Miami,
02:54one of the Dolphins defensive coaches
02:56was talking about how the big emphasis now
02:59is the best teams have speed
03:01and they have explosiveness.
03:04Best defenders.
03:05You can find success and create success
03:08with a room full of athletes on defense.
03:10And I think that despite him being smaller,
03:13that build that he brings to the linebacker position,
03:16I think produces more success
03:18because he can fly all over the place
03:20and he can really command between the tackles
03:23as a team's Mike linebacker.
03:25The ceiling is just tremendously high for him
03:27to be a tackle leader,
03:29to be a presence,
03:31a communication piece within a defense.
03:34There's just so much
03:35that you can get out of C.J. Allen.
03:37He, to me,
03:38there's a shot that he slides
03:40and goes later
03:40than I'm pushing out here right now, Ryan.
03:43But he, to me,
03:44is one of the prospects
03:45that I can say at this current moment
03:46before the season starts
03:47that I feel will end up
03:49still being a first-round pick.
03:51Yeah, no,
03:51I think his floor is pretty good
03:53for the position.
03:54He's obviously been a mainstay
03:55for the Georgia Bulldogs
03:56for multiple years.
03:57I mean, he was so good as a freshman,
03:59he basically pushed
04:00Jermon Dumas Johnson out
04:01and he ended up transferring
04:03to Kentucky, right?
04:03So, like, he was so good
04:04early on in his career.
04:05I think the only thing
04:06that is really a drawback to him,
04:08and you mentioned a little bit,
04:09outside of the length, though,
04:11I do think that he is,
04:12he's more linearly explosive
04:14than I would say
04:14that he's, like,
04:15change-of-direction guy.
04:17Like, I do think
04:17that he's a little bit tight
04:18in that capacity.
04:19So, I do think
04:20there are some limitations
04:21as far as just his impact
04:22on passing downs.
04:23But I agree with you, man.
04:24Like, this kid's a starting
04:25Mike linebacker in the NFL
04:26very early on in his career,
04:28and I would not be surprised
04:28if he ends up developing
04:30to a pro bowler.
04:31Going quickly
04:32into his background
04:34in the 2023 class,
04:36he was a four-star recruit,
04:37so he wasn't even
04:38one of the biggest names
04:39in that amazing Georgia
04:41recruiting class in 2023.
04:43Number four linebacker,
04:4548 overall prospect
04:46coming out of Barnesville, Georgia,
04:50and in high school,
04:51interestingly enough,
04:52he was a basketball player
04:54as well.
04:54Average 7.7 points per game
04:56as a junior in high school
04:58playing basketball.
05:00I don't know what position.
05:01I would assume
05:01he was a point guard.
05:03But still,
05:04he is a former
05:05multi-sport athlete.
05:06He also ran track,
05:08ran 23.58 in the 200.
05:10So, this dude
05:11has added a splay
05:13of athleticism
05:14from high school
05:15up until now.
05:16Yeah, I mean,
05:17his high school highlight tape
05:18was pretty fun.
05:18If you want to go back
05:19and just Google
05:20C.J. Allen Huddle highlights,
05:21he was probably,
05:22I think Joe said
05:23he was listed at like 217.
05:24I would have guessed
05:25he was about 220,
05:26like somewhere in that ballpark.
05:27But, just range, man.
05:28Like, he's explosive,
05:29blitzing from multiple spots,
05:31playing range from the inside,
05:32working himself out.
05:33So, it's not surprising
05:34that he's developed
05:35into a really good linebacker.
05:37He's very different
05:37than what they've had,
05:38honestly, recently at Georgia
05:40because they've had
05:41more of those
05:41longer,
05:43more explosive
05:44inside linebackers
05:45the last couple years.
05:45You think about like
05:46Quay Walker,
05:47you think about Smile Munden.
05:48This is more in the
05:49N'Kobe Dean
05:50type of style
05:52as far as like
05:52body type wise.
05:53But he's obviously
05:54a much more explosive athlete
05:55than when N'Kobe Dean
05:56was coming out.
05:57So, he's more of that
05:58dense, physical guy
05:59and he's now developed
06:00into one of the biggest leaders
06:01on this Georgia team
06:02heading into 2025.
06:04Folks, comment below
06:06how early you would draft
06:07CJ Allen.
06:08Hit that like button
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06:10We'll be back with more.