Packers Player Turns Heads With Comments About Jets RB Braelon Allen

New York Jets running back Braelon Allen has a lot of fans in the building.

However, his biggest fan might very well be a former teammate. Green Bay Packers tailback Israel Abanikanda sang his sweet praises during a conversation with Kyle Malzhan of WFRV Local 5 news.

“Braelon gonna be a great running back. To me, I don’t know what people say, I say he can be the next Derrick Henry. That’s what I say, and that’s what I told him,” Abanikanda revealed.

“I call him big baby because he is so young, but he is so effective. Not just his size, he actually has a great burst to him. Everybody thinks he is just size, everybody thinks he can’t run, but he can actually run, catch the ball out of the backfield, and he can block,” Abanikanda added.

GOOD LORD!#Packers RB Israel Abanikanda believes his former #Jets teammate Braelon Allen can be the next “Derrick Henry.” 👀

 

🎥 @KyleMalzhan of @WFRVLocal5 #JetUp #GoPackGo pic.twitter.com/dKhoA6pV68

— Paul Andrew Esden Jr (@BoyGreen25) August 7, 2025

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The Comparisons Make Sense From a Physical Standpoint

Allen is listed at 6-foot-1 and tips the scales at 235 pounds on the official Jets roster sheet.

However, Henry is taller (6-foot-2) and has an additional 17 pounds of mass to his frame (listed at 252 pounds on the Baltimore Ravens official roster sheet).

“King Henry,” as he has come to be known, has developed a reputation as a physical freight train. When that 252-pound locomotive is coming at you in the open field, lesser defenders have often made business decisions in those moments.

A Long Way to Go to Make That a Reality

Henry, 31, is a four-time All-Pro, five-time Pro Bowler, and a former NFL Offensive Player of the Year.

He has led the league twice in rushing and three times in rushing touchdowns. Henry is one of only nine running backs who have eclipsed the 2,000-yard rushing plateau in a single season.

The accolades go on and on for Henry. He has been in the league for nine years, and the 2025 season will be his 10th.

Allen, 21, on the other hand, is entering just his second season. During his rookie campaign, he toted the rock just 92 times.

He played second fiddle to Breece Hall, and he is in line for an encore performance in 2025.

Abanikanda Revenge Tour?

Izzy is one of several former Jets on the Packers roster.

That list includes veteran wideout Mecole Hardman, rookie linebacker Jared Bartlett, cornerback Corey Ballentine, and defensive back Isaiah Dunn.

“I can’t wait to play my old teammates,” Abanikanda told senior Green Bay writer Wes Hodkiewicz. “I can’t wait. It’s gonna be fun.”

Abanikanda, 22, entered the NFL as the No. 143 overall pick in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL draft. He lasted a year and a half with the Jets. Abanikanda got cut in December of 2024 and was claimed off waivers by the San Francisco 49ers.

He spent the first seven months of this year in San Francisco before getting cut ahead of training camp. Once again, Abanikanda was claimed off waivers, this time by the Packers.

The good news is that the current Green Bay offense mirrors what Abanikanda ran with the Jets when Nathaniel Hackett was running the operation.

“It’s a lot of similar things, just a couple tweaks in the language,” Abanikanda told Hodkiewicz. “I caught up really quick – it probably took me about four or five days just to remember a few plays I did with the Jets.”