'That's Really Who Tyler Is': Falcons RB Coach Praises Rookie Allgeier

The BYU Cougar brings a gritty running style to the Falcons offense

The Falcons had a fantastic draft last April. Now, on paper, that can be said about dozens of teams that found players that fill needs and can help their new team win some games come the fall.

Atlanta spent a fifth round pick on BYU running back Tyler Allgeier, had back-to-back seasons of 1,000 yard seasons on the ground. The rookie joins a running back room that features a lot of elusive runners, including Cordarrelle Patterson and Damien Williams.

What Allgeier brings to the table is a complete 180. He is a ground-and-pound runner that the Atlanta staff loves, including new running backs coach Michael Pitre.

"Guys have to make a business decision when they have to tackle him in the second half because of his style of play," Pitre said. "They have to strap up their chin strap and helmet and make sure, 'Hey, do we really want to do this through 60 minutes?'"

That ability to torture defenders and being able to run through them at ease is something the Falcons are looking for in their backfield. Allgeier brings a forceful running style, as well as smart blocking habits in pass protection.

Runs in the college game that break loose for 20+ yards are often limited in the NFL to little four or five yard chunks. Right up Allgeier’s alley.

"He embraces the physicality of the game of football, which - starting at the top with Coach (Arthur) Smith - is ultimately the standard and the identity of what we want this thing to look like," Pitre said. "That's really who Tyler is."

Allgeier had a masterful career at BYU, which saw him total 2,899 yards and 36 career touchdowns. Using the 151st overall pick on him is something the scouting staff was happy about, especially because of his experience at another position on the other side of the ball.

In 2019, with Allgeier stashed on the Cougar depth chart, his coaches asked him to switch sides and play some linebacker. Here, he excelled in reading offensive schemes and only improved as a runner when he returned back to his original position.

"It's all those different things that you try to help running backs understand who have never been on the other side of the ball," Pitre said. "I think that is one of the reasons he was able to be as productive as he was, because he understood defenses and how they were going to try to stop him and stop their offense."

Bumps and bruises are bound to happen along the way through the course of an average NFL season, but that won’t matter to Allgeier, who was asked at his Pro Day what teams would be getting from him.

“A football player.”