BYU working again Tyler Allgeier (25) warms up forward of a faculty soccer recreation in opposition to Boise State at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Oct. 9, 2021. Allgeier was a fifth-round draft choose by the Atlanta Falcons within the 2022 NFL draft and will compete for helpful touches early in his professional profession. Shafkat Anowar, Deseret Information
Tyler Allgeier was a hidden-gem form of a discover for the BYU soccer program — he joined the staff as a walk-on in 2018 and left as one in every of its best working backs in class historical past.
The Atlanta Falcons — who chosen Allgeier within the fifth spherical of the 2022 NFL draft — are looking for constant, explosive manufacturing out of their working recreation, one thing the bruising again ended up offering for BYU the previous two seasons.
Might Allgeier play a major function in serving to the Falcons reverse their working recreation woes?
In his postdraft press convention, Atlanta coach Arthur Smith known as the Falcons’ working again competitors large open and praised what he noticed on movie from Allgeier.
“We love his yards after contact. Love the psychological make-up,” Smith mentioned, per ESPN. “Assume he’s a man that ought to are available in right here, if he’s not contributing on first, second down straight away, he’s a man, hopefully, who helps us on fourth down.
“However the alternative is there.”
Allgeier will get his first style of NFL camp when the Falcons host their rookie minicamp Friday by Sunday.
What does Tyler Allgeier convey to the Atlanta Falcons?
The rookie Allgeier is the youngest of 5 working backs on the Falcons’ roster at 22 years previous.
He's coming off back-to-back 1,000-yard speeding seasons for BYU, the final of which set a single-season speeding document on the college.
In the course of the 2021 marketing campaign, Allgeier rushed for 1,601 yards and 23 touchdowns, tied for essentially the most speeding touchdowns by a person on the Division I degree.
The 5-foot-11, 220-pound again hails from Fontana, California, and left BYU following his junior season to pursue a professional profession.
“(He’s a) 4 down participant,” Falcons common supervisor Terry Fontenot mentioned of Allgeier, in line with staff author Kris Rhim. “First and second down, the best way he can run the ball, the best way he can catch it, he can defend. Fourth down the worth he can herald our kicking recreation; he suits our ethos.”
Who in addition to Tyler Allgeier is within the Atlanta Falcons’ working backs room?
Cordarrelle Patterson: The 31-year-old veteran is headed into his tenth NFL season and led the Falcons in speeding final season with 610 yards and 6 touchdowns.
He’s extra of a hybrid participant — Patterson has eight profession kick return touchdowns, and he was drafted as a large receiver in 2013 and primarily performed that place earlier than making a full-time transfer over to working again final season in his first yr with the Falcons.
Patterson additionally caught 52 passes for 548 yards and 5 touchdowns final yr.
His 11 touchdowns greater than doubled the entire from another ability place participant.
Patterson re-signed with the staff this offseason on a two-year, $10.5 million deal, per Spotrac.
Damien Williams: The 30-year-old again who gained a Tremendous Bowl ring three seasons in the past with the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs joined the Falcons as a free agent this offseason.
He has primarily stuffed a complementary function all through his profession — Williams’ greatest season got here in 2019 when he had 498 speeding yards for the Chiefs, and he’s rushed for 1,395 yards over seven seasons.
He signed a one-year cope with the Falcons in March and might be one other veteran presence who offers high quality touches.
Caleb Huntley and Qadree Ollison: These two are depth items, gamers who're accustomed to the Falcons’ scheme and are the 2 youngest working backs on the staff in addition to Allgeier — Huntley is 23 and Ollison 25.
Huntley signed with Atlanta as an undrafted rookie free agent final yr and didn't play in a recreation.
Ollison, like Allgeier, was a fifth-round choose, going to Atlanta in 2019. He’s performed in 19 profession video games over three seasons and has 44 profession carries for 158 yards and 5 touchdowns (4 as a rookie).
Who’s gone from the Atlanta Falcons’ working again group?
Mike Davis: The 29-year-old again was launched by Atlanta following the 2022 draft, a transfer that saved the staff $2.5 million in opposition to the wage cap, in line with CBS Sports activities.
Davis, who signed with the Baltimore Ravens on Tuesday, was the staff’s second-leading working again final season — placing up 503 speeding yards and three touchdowns. He was seen extra as a lead-back possibility, a task that by no means panned out, and he was launched earlier than the second yr of his two-year deal.
Wayne Gallman: The 27-year-old is a free agent after speeding for 104 yards final season.
How does Atlanta’s working assault rank within the NFL?
The Falcons had the second-worst speeding assault within the NFL final season — their 85.4 yards-per-game common was higher than solely Houston, and almost seven yards fewer than the next-worst staff.
Atlanta averaged 3.7 yards per carry, one in every of solely six groups to common fewer than 4 yards per carry.
How will Tyler Allgeier match into the Atlanta Falcons’ working again rotation?
Smith’s historical past with one of the dominant working backs within the NFL as we speak — the Tennessee Titans’ Derrick Henry — might be an indication for the way the Falcons finally envision utilizing Allgeier, if he pans out as an influence again.
Smith, who’s headed into his second season because the Falcons head coach, was the offensive coordinator for the Titans when Henry used his bruising type to guide the NFL in speeding in back-to-back years. In 2019, Henry went for 1,540 yards and 16 touchdowns, then adopted that with 2,027 speeding yards and 17 touchdowns in 2020, incomes NFL Offensive Participant of the Yr honors.
“Allgeier performs with the type and physicality that Smith covets in his gamers. Allgeier altering the Falcons’ working recreation in his rookie season appears unlikely, however he might be the face of the Falcons’ backfield quickly,” Rhim wrote.
One other wrinkle in Allgeier doubtlessly incomes extra touches early in his profession entails Patterson. ESPN’s Michael Rothstein not too long ago instructed SiriusXM, “I believe the Falcons may line up Cordarrelle Patterson at large receiver greater than working again subsequent season.”
Although Atlanta used a prime 10 first-round choose on USC large receiver Drake London within the draft, Patterson might be wanted extra on the wideout place.
Earlier this offseason, the staff’s main large receiver, Calvin Ridley, was suspended for at the very least the 2022 season for betting on NFL video games, and one other prime large receiver, Russell Gage, is now in Tampa Bay.
That will necessitate Patterson lining up extra at receiver, and opening the door for Allgeier to compete for extra touches.
“There will probably be alternative for Allgeier to make an affect as a rookie,” Rothstein wrote. “There's even an opportunity he finally ends up because the staff’s opening day starter in September as a result of it’s a room that’s large open. It might have been that even when Davis had remained on the roster.”