Jaylen Wright 2024 Dynasty Rookie Profile
Jaylen Wright 2024 Dynasty Rookie Draft Profile
Position: RB
School: Tennessee
Class: Junior
Date of Birth: April 1, 2003
Height: 5-11 Weight: 210 lbs
Athletic Testing
40-Time: 4.38
Speed Score: 114.1
Vertical: 38”
Broad: 11’2
Shuttle:
3-Cone:
Bio
Jaylen Wright is a product of Southern Durham High School in North Carolina. There, he was a star athlete on the football field as well as the track & field team. He actually won an indoor state title in the 55m dash as a sophomore and later clocked in at time of 6.29 seconds which was the fastest in the nation at the time, according to the Tennessee website. On the football field, Wright ran for over 900 yards on just 89 carries in his junior season. He earned a three-star recruiting grade and 13 offers despite having no senior season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Wright committed to Tennessee in January 2021 over offers from Arizona State, Arkansas, Miami, Rutgers, and others.
As a true freshman, Wright carried the ball 85 times for 409 yards and four touchdowns. Wright’s role grew in 2022, rushing for a team-high 875 yards and 10 touchdowns while splitting carries (146) with Jabari Small. He did not offer much in the passing game, catching just two passes for eight yards.
That changed in 2023, however, when he caught 22 for 141 while again leading the team in rushing. On the back of six 100-yard performances, Wright finished his junior season with 1,013 yards and four touchdowns on 137 attempts. He became the first Tennessee running back to reach 1,000 yards since Jalen Hurd back in 2015. In fact, according to the team’s website, Wright is the fastest Tennessee Volunteer to get to 1,000 yards in school history, hitting the mark on just 136 carries. Equally as impressive was his 7.39 yards per carry which was tops among all FBS running backs.
College Stats
Jaylen Wright College Stats Courtesy of sports-reference
Positives
+Elite Speed
+114.1 (95th-percentile) Speed Score (PlayerProfiler.com)
+Explosive
+Home Run Threat
+Patience
+Pass Protection
Negatives
-Doesn’t break many tackles
-Lacks some creativity as a runner
-Lacks the lateral agility to be a true cut-back threat
-12.8% best season touchdown share (2022)
-1.28 yards per team play (2023)
Highlight Reel
Archetype: One-Cut Slasher
NFL Comp: TBD
Draft Projection: Third/Fourth Round
Bottom Line:
Jaylen Wright possesses the requisite size and traits to be a quality running back at the NFL level. He has elite speed, as evidenced by his 22.2 MPH top speed clocked in 2023 which is the fastest of any of the running backs in the 2024 class. Wright has the patience to let hit blocks develop in front of him with the burst to explode through the hole and get to the next level of the defense. Most of his runs at Tennessee came from the shotgun and were directed between the tackles, but Wright’s skill set leaves little doubt he can be a quality runner on outside concepts as well.
Wright may have the speed to outrun defenders but he lacks the lateral agility to be a true cut-back threat and isn’t the most difficult to bring down once you’ve got hands on him. He also doesn’t create much on his own if the lanes aren’t available for him. In the passing game, Wright was a zero in his first two seasons before adding receiving skills to his repertoire in 2023. He still has work to do in this area to become a weapon as a pass-catcher, but he showed enough to believe he can be an effective check-down, swing pass, and screen game option at least. He will also add value with his quality pass protection skills, something we don’t see from a lot of running backs straight out of college. This will help him find an early role in the NFL.
Speaking of the NFL, Jaylen Wright projects as a rotational running back who can add value on third downs as well as be an explosive change-of-pace back in a two or three man committee. With a 210-pound frame it’s certainly possible he becomes the leader of said committee. Wright is likely to be drafted sometime in the middle rounds, probably in the third or fourth. In dynasty, he is a fun pick in the third round of rookie drafts with the hopes his elite speed translates to a fantasy relevant role.
NEXT: Xavier Legette 2024 Dynasty Rookie Profile
Resources: DLF, PlayerProfiler, PFN, PFF, TDN
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