These NFL players and prospects were born to run even if there might be better b

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Braelon Allen arrived at Wisconsin in 2021 as a hard-hitting safety who had bulked up enough to become a linebacker for his home-state school.The Badgers, of course, had another role in mind for their wide-eyed 17-year-old freshman: carrying the ball. Since then, nobody in the nation has more rushing yards than Allen, with 3,264 and counting entering the final month of his third season. Even as NFL teams have regularly engaged in high-profile contract standoffs with standout running backs  at a position that faces the most physical punishment and typically sees the fastest decline in production  some players in this sport were simply  Kelan Martin Jersey born to run. Taking the ball out of their hands is not on the table.I find it personally just to be the most enjoyable position to me. As long as Im enjoying what Im doing, I dont really find the money to be too much of a factor or i sue or anything, Allen said earlier this year. I just want to do what I love to do. Ever since I started playing running back, Ive felt that its the most fun Ive had really playing football.ADVERTISEMENT  Next year, or in 2025 if he were to decide to use all his college eligibility, Allen will be one of the top prospects at his position. Rookie money is largely determined by draft order, but Allen is hopeful a market correction will occur sometime before he's up for that lucrative second contract.You dont want to push people away from playing running back. Eventually theres not going to be any. Then what do you do? Who fits in that role? Allen said. "Somethings got to happen. It cant keep going the way that it  Andrew Wiggins Jersey is.As evidenced by the that formed during the summer among the NFL's best running backs out of concern for the lack of financial commitments being made around the league to their peers, there's plenty of dismay within the ranks. That trickles down to players on their rookie deals and into college programs, too.We put our bodies on the line just as much, if not more, than most guys, Washington Commanders running back Brian Robinson Jr. said. "We feel like we should be valued just as much. We protect the quarterback just as much as the O-line. We are asked to do a lot of things in the offensive game plan regardle s. We would appreciate if they appreciated us more.Minnesota Vikings running back Cam Akers laughed when asked what advice he' D'Angelo Russell Jersey d give to college prospects about their NFL future.Id probably tell them, If you love it, do it, but you might want to think about playing something else, maybe a slot receiver or something, Akers said.Jonathan Taylor, who preceded Allen in Wisconsin's backfield, was the runaway NFL rushing champion in 2021 for Indianapolis. Coming off an ankle injury-shortened 2022 season, Taylor's contract dispute with the Colts blew up into quite the soap opera in the summer, before he backed off his trade request and signed a that made him the league's third-highest-paid running back in terms of annual average value. Several running backs interviewed by The A sociated Pre s this season pointed to Taylor's deal as a sign there's still money to be made for the best of the ball-carrying bunch.Youre  Malik Sealy Jersey not thinking at 19 years old like, Oh, shoot, theyre not paying that specific position so let me switch my position, Pittsburgh Steelers running back Qadree Ollison said. "Its one of those things where it ebbs and flows. Its like the stock market. It goes down. It goes back up.Saquon Barkley (New York Giants), Josh Jacobs (Las Vegas Raiders) and Tony Pollard (Dallas Cowboys) are all playing on the franchise tag this season after failing to reach agreements on long-term deals with their clubs. Barkley, the No. 2 pick in the 2018 draft, said Thursday he has no regrets about becoming a running back.Im fifth all time rushing in this franchise. I plan to try to find a way to figure out how to be one. Thats a goal of mine, Barkley said. But with everything that happened with the contract, I know my value.Dallas Cowboys rookie Deuce Vaughn left Kansas State a year early despite only being a sixth-round draft pick, realizing his 5-foot-6 frame would only further downgrade his value.If I go back and have another 1,500-yard rushing year, its probably not going to boost my stock any more, Vaughn said.The key to maximizing that value is versatility, as Vaughn learned in college. That means not only establishing themselves as a reliable pa s-catcher out of the backfield but as a dangerous one. That means picking up blitzes with the best of them. That means comfort with lining up as a slot receiver or even returning kicks.Thats my biggest me sage to kids coming up, guys in college: Man, just try to do everything that you can, said Tenne see Titans rookie Tyjae Spears, whos third on the team with 18 receptions. "When you get here, you never know how you can help the team win. And thats Ashton Hagans Jersey  what a teams looking for.___AP Pro Football Writers Schuyler Dixon and Teresa M. Walker and AP Sports Writers Tom Canavan, Will Graves, Steve Megargee, John Wawrow and Stephen Whyno contributed.___AP NFL:
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