Why Jaylen Wright to the Dolphins in the fourth round is a 'diamond in the rough' draft pick
The Miami Dolphins weren’t going to wait any longer for Tennessee running back Jaylen Wright. So on Saturday they traded a 2025 third-round pick to move up in the fourth round in the NFL Draft, moving up to take Wright at No. 120 overall.
According to NFL Network’s Peter Schrager, the move could be the steal of the draft. During an appearance on Pardon My Take on Monday, Schragrer described Wright as his “diamond in the rough” leaving the draft.
“If I know Mike McDaniel, which I think I know fairly well, that’s his pick, written all over it,” Schrager said of the Dolphins head coach. “They traded up to get him.”
McDaniel’s numbers in the run game speaks for themselves.
The Dolphins last season finished sixth in total rushing (2,308 yards), led the league in yards per carry (5.1) and tied for the league lead in rushing touchdowns (27).
They spread the wealth, too. Raheem Mostert carried 209 times for 1,012 yards and 18 touchdowns last season. Rookie De’Von Achane, who the Dolphins took in the third round last year, had 800 yards and eight touchdowns on 103 carries, averaging 103 yards per carry.
That’s the run-heavy scheme that Wright is joining.
“I don’t know how it works in fantasy football,” Schrager said, “because they have Achane and Mostert and (Salvon) Ahmed, they have all these guys. This Jaylen Wright averaged eight years per carry at Tennessee. He’s as fast as they come. Was supposed to go on Day 2, goes early on Day 3 and they trade up to get him.”
Wright’s numbers fit right in with the Dolphins offense.
During his breakout junior season he carried 137 times for 1,013 yards and had four rushing touchdowns, averaging 7.4 yards per carry. He became just the 19th Tennessee running back to go over 1,000 yards in a season and did it in fewer carries than any other back before him.
Over the last three seasons at Tennessee, Wright totaled 2,297 yards and 18 touchdowns on 368 attempts. He had 409 yards and four touchdowns as a freshman in 2021 and 875 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2022. He averaged 4.8 yards per carry in 2021 and 6.0 yards per carry in 2022.
“Again,” Shrager said, “depth chart be damned. There will be plays where Jaylen Wright … has an 80-yard scamper or does something crazy. The way they do their offense, all those running backs will touch the ball. Jaylen Wright, fourth-round pick, Dolphins, that’s my diamond in the rough.”
