Panic or Prosper: How To Evaluate PSU’s RB Tandem

Nicholas Singleton Film Study

So what happened with Singleton in 2023? The Penn State RB came into the season as one of the most highly-thought-of devy running back prospects. He was coming off of a brilliant freshman year and the team appeared to be on the upswing. Despite all of this, his numbers took a big dip. Let’s examine some of his film to see what the issue may have been.

Of the two RBs we are looking at, Singleton is the burner. He claims to have been clocked at a 4.39 40-yard dash. Looking at him rip off the huge play in the 2023 Rose Bowl, I am inclined to believe him. That speed would have tied him with Trey Benson as the third-fastest RB in this past year’s draft class.

When I reviewed the film of Singleton in his sophomore year, I didn’t see as many long plays as in his freshman year. However, that does not mean that his speed was lacking. On the contrary, I believe that his speed remained an absolute asset to the Nittany Lions. It may just be that teams were gearing up to stop him as the centerpiece of the PSU offense. While not nearly as long of a play, you can see in the TD below how he puts his foot in the ground, gets north and south, and finishes in the endzone.

The speed looks like it was still there. What about the power? Did Singleton slack off in the gym? We know from his freshman season that Singleton is a legitimate worker in the weight room. As a true freshman, he was able to power clean well over 300 lbs.

True freshman RB Nick Singleton cleaned 365 pounds yesterday. https://t.co/7oMXjvUARS pic.twitter.com/AfEzPAldCx

— Nittany Sports Now (@NittanySN) July 13, 2022

Singleton’s efforts in the gym do not seem to have lacked from one season to the next. In fact, he bettered his freshman numbers by 20 lbs., coming close to matching the program record set by the athletic freak Saquon Barkley.

Nick Singleton power cleaning 385 pounds. The Penn State program record is 405, set by Saquon Barkley in 2017pic.twitter.com/KyoYaaukBe

— Joel Haas (@Joel_Haas1) July 16, 2023

Singleton wasn’t just gym-strong either. You can see from the two clips below that he still ran with excellent balance and power on the field in both of his collegiate seasons. The first clip is from his freshman campaign, and the second shows his continued strength last year.

When evaluating the film, I also get the impression that Singleton managed to maintain his loose hips. You can see throughout both his freshman and sophomore tape that he plays with very nice balance and wiggle, routinely evading defenders in the passing game. Again, the first clip is from his freshman year whereas the second shows the same ability in his sophomore season.

Most of what I saw when going over the film of Singleton from his first to second season showed the same player. Fast and powerful with loose hips and a nose for the endzone. If there was one area that stood out, it was his work in the passing game. You will note from Singleton’s stats above that his receiving totals saw a dramatic uptick from one year to the next. Most of the looks that he saw in his freshman year were swing passes like the one below.

In his sophomore year, Singleton’s usage in the passing game expanded. He began to run more routes downfield. They also used him out wide on occasion with his teammate Allen in the backfield. You can see Singleton making a nice play downfield in the clip below.

Singleton’s development as a receiver helps to offset his disappointment as a runner in his sophomore campaign. When playing dynasty fantasy football we want players that possess a three-down skill set. It is the running backs that do not have come off the field that make the biggest impact. Players like Christian McCaffrey and Saquon Barkley will always be more valuable than simple bulldozers. This will be a major consideration when it comes to our final evaluation of Singleton. But now to his running mate.

Kaytron Allen Film Study

Despite having an amazing freshman year at Happy Valley, Allen lived in the shadow of his more famous teammate. As a bruising back out of the Florida prep school ranks, Allen was the perfect thunder to Singleton’s lighting in their first year.

Allen’s numbers from his first year to his second make it all the harder to evaluate Singleton. Unlike his teammate, Allen didn’t regress, but he didn’t seem to develop either. Kaytron maintained the same level of efficiency as a runner. This is a power back whose level of physicality on the field did not decrease from one season to the next. Note in the first video below how he uses that bruising style to punish defenders by pushing the pile for a touchdown.

Now, take a look at last season and you will see that he was every bit the bully in 2023. Allen is once again meeting a defender and keeping his legs churning to force his way forward for the score. From the looks of things, he should stay in this play style.

While Allen is more of a straight-line runner, he does have some wiggle to his game. In particular, he has a really nice jump cut. Allen can read the line and bounce the run into whichever gap is open. Once he puts his foot in the ground, he can explode forward through the open hole.

Fast forward to last season. You will see that he maintained that cutting ability. While Kaytron Allen is not nearly as fast as Singleton, Allen can use his cuts to get to the edge as well.

One thing that I wanted to keep an eye out for was Allen’s speed. Given that he is the bruiser of the pair, I didn’t want to see any loss of speed or quickness. You can tell that while not a sub 4.40 40-type of player like Singleton, Allen is still able to gash a defense.

When watching the tape on Allen’s sophomore campaign, I saw clearly that he played at the same level of speed. I would have to concur with draftscout.com that Allen likely runs in the mid-4.5 40-yard dash range.

Allen’s development as a receiver has been disappointing. His numbers take a bit of a dip, but he can’t be considered a legitimate weapon out of the backfield in either season. Allen can make the basic catches in the flats and given the right circumstances, can make a defense pay as he did here.

During Allen’s sophomore season, the coaching staff made a clear decision to feature Singleton as the pass-catching running back. Allen got a handful of catches, but the emphasis was clear. His touches mostly consisted of dump-offs like the one below.

What to Make of the Penn State Duo?

If you find any dip in value for either of these RBs you should be a buyer. Singleton remains one of the most talented backs in the nation. Sure, his numbers took a dip in his Sophomore season, but I am willing to chalk most of that up to deficiency in the receiving game. Penn State lacked a big-time WR last year, and that allowed opposing defensive coordinators to build their game plan around stopping the explosive running back. We can see from the film breakdown above that Singelton maintained his speed, lateral quickness, and explosive power. He also showed some nice signs of development as a pass catcher. I continue to believe that Singleton is worth a first-round devy pick.

Allen continues to fly under the radar for many in the devy world. Despite maintaining his outstanding freshman efficiency, many seem to have forgotten about this talented playmaker. While some feel that he will not translate, I believe he could be a nice RB at the NFL level. I see some similarities to Jordan Howard. Allen is excellent between the tackles. He shows a rugged style and excellent vision just like Howard. We will have to keep our eyes on Allen’s work in the passing game in 2024. Either way, he feels like a very nice buy in Devy circles. I would gladly buy him for a mid to late 2nd-round devy pick.

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