Background

Christian Jamar Allen grew up in Barnesville, Georgia, a small town about two hours south of Athens, and attended Lamar County High School, where he was a true two-way force as both linebacker and running back while also competing in basketball and track, qualifying for the GHSA State Championship in the shot put. As a senior, he posted 84 tackles and a sack on defense while rushing for over 1,600 yards and 26 touchdowns on offense, earning Region 3-AA Player of the Year and an invitation to the All-American Bowl. A consensus four-star recruit ranked No. 78 nationally and No. 5 among linebackers, he enrolled early at Georgia in January 2023 and worked his way into the rotation immediately. Injuries opened the door and when he got his first start against Ole Miss, he responded with 9 tackles and a sack to claim SEC Freshman of the Week, finishing the year with 40 tackles, 3 TFL, and a sack across 14 games with 5 starts. He became a full-time starter as a sophomore with 76 tackles, 3 TFL, an interception, and 4 pass deflections. His junior year in 2025 was his best: team captain, green-dot communicator, Consensus All-American, First-Team All-SEC, and Butkus Award finalist while serving as the quarterback of one of the nation's best defenses. To donate to his elementary school, he went back to Barnesville during the season, where his hope is to launch an after-school research program for students. They also named him a Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year semifinalist. He turned 21 in March 2026. He declared for the 2026 NFL Draft.

Physical Attributes

Allen did not take part in the combine or pro day workouts as he continues to rehab an injury he suffered against Texas in November, but continued to play through it. A stocky 6'0" and 230 lbs, Allen is an above-average athlete. He struggles to keep up with most skill-position players. His quickness is very good and has a great first step. His highlight athletic trait is his lateral quickness. He can move from gap to gap in a second, and combined with his quickness, can make him a pest in coverage. He is strong, but his short arms limit how much he can exert with his upper body.

Data and Tape Analysis

If you are unfamiliar with my LB radar charts, you can find more information here

Allen's past as a RB makes him a very effective run-stopper. You can tell he has a feel for where plays are going to go before they go there, because he has been on the other side making those decisions. He also realizes that one of the hardest things to account for as a RB is a LB who arrives at the gap the half a second before you do, leaving no time to react. That is the foundation of his strategy to stop the run, not with overwhelming physical ability but with smarts.

It seems to come easily to Allen, navigating between blocks and sidestepping linemen. Though there is not much of a counterpunch, because when he cannot, Allen's run-stopping plan falls apart. His short arms and lack of power make it really difficult for him to stack blockers. Once engaged by a blocker, he struggles to disengage, so it is vital for his play style to stay free.

That sits in opposition to his pass rushing, though. Allen can use his power and drive to motor through weak shoulders on the interior, and gets pushback most of the times he is asked to rush. He also makes great decisions on when to come down from coverage and attack the QB. Against Alabama, Ty Simpson had barely flipped his hips to break the pocket before Allen was moving towards the open space to pressure him.

Right there is one feature of Allen's game. He is just really smart and seems to know what is going to happen before it does. I don't agree with his zone coverage rating because he makes the QBs life difficult when the ball is thrown in his area. He does not have the biggest range or the best tracking of players in his area, but he will muddy that passing lane really well once the QB is ready to deliver and he is near the flight of the ball.

Grade and Outlook

Allen has the football IQ to make himself a very solid NFL LB. He probably lacks the truly elite IQ, or the requisite athleticism to hit the upper echelons of LB play, but will probably force a front office to make an uncomfortable decision on how much to give him for his second contract.

Grade: 6.0 (2nd Rounder)