• A daunting trio: The Dolphins will enter the 2024 season with a three-headed monster in the backfield in Mostert, Achane and Wright — potentially one of the fastest backfields in the history of the NFL.
• The newest athlete in the Miami offense: Wright is an elite athlete, and that athleticism was on full display at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine. He ran a 4.38-second 40-yard dash, while his 11-foot-2 broad jump was the second-longest ever recorded for a running back.
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Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
Heading into the 2024 NFL Draft, the Miami Dolphins‘ running back room appeared to be an area of strength.
A season ago, Raheem Mostert rushed for a career-high 1,012 yards and led the league with 18 rushing touchdowns. De’Von Achane was electrifying, averaging a league-best 7.8 yards per carry, while Jeff Wilson Jr. was just one year removed from 860 rushing yards.
So, given that there were other, more notable holes in the roster, it surprised many when the Dolphins traded into the fourth round to select Tennessee running back Jaylen Wright.
But this move makes a lot of sense when you examine Wright’s skill set and the team's struggles last season.
The Trade
Following their selection of Patrick Paul in the second round (No. 55 overall), the Dolphins found themselves in a tough spot because they did not hold a third- or fourth-round pick.
Ultimately, Mike McDaniel and company decided to change that early on Day 3, and they did so by acquiring Pick 120 from the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for their 2025 third-rounder.
On the surface, trading a third-round pick for a fourth-round pick can be questionable, but you have to consider a few factors. When trading a future pick, there will always be a price to pay in terms of value. With that said, the Dolphins are expected to get two third-round compensatory picks in 2025 for the departures of Christian Wilkins and Robert Hunt.
They could not trade one of those comp picks specifically — they have not yet been awarded — but the team will certainly be on the clock in Round 3 next year, even after making this deal with Philadelphia.
Six running backs were selected from Picks 120 to 134, starting with Wright. The Dolphins deserve credit for getting ahead of the run at the position and drafting the player who was highest on their board. They missed out on the run of edge defenders and tackles in the first round but timed their move perfectly in Round 4.
Given this trade, it’s fair to assume that the team envisions a role for Wright immediately.
Jaylen Wright: The Player
Wright is an elite athlete, and that athleticism was on full display at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine. He ran a 4.38-second 40-yard dash, while his 11-foot-2 broad jump was the second-longest ever recorded for a running back.
The Tennessee product even told local beat writers that he had been clocked on GPS at over 23 m.p.h.
New Dolphins RB Jaylen Wright said he consistently ran in the 4.3s in the pre-draft process and has been GPS clocked at over 23 mph. My goodness.
— Adam Beasley (@AdamHBeasley) April 27, 2024
Wright became a household name during his sophomore 2022 season, a campaign he finished as his team's leading rusher despite not being the lead back.
He followed that up with a career-best 91.0 overall grade in 2023, and his 7.4 yards per carry was the second-highest rate among Power Five backs. Some eye-popping advanced metrics stand out when evaluating Wright, most notably his 4.35 yards after contact per attempt and 19 carries of 15-plus yards on just 136 attempts.
The most noteworthy aspects of Wright’s game are his explosive first step and top-end speed. He has shown the ability to make decisive cuts in the backfield that turn into home-run plays time and time again. This type of consistent sudden burst will translate at the NFL level.
As a receiver, Wright has good hands and is more than capable when called upon, as evidenced by his 22 receptions on 25 targets (one drop) last season. His explosive first step makes for a sharp route runner, which may be utilized more in the NFL than he was asked to do at Tennessee.
Pass-blocking for a running back has become more of a lost art over the years, but Wright was one of the best pass-protecting backs in the country last season. He was charged with just three pressures (no sacks) across 58 pass-blocking snaps in 2023. Running backs who struggle in pass protection typically lack an element of strength and a willingness to seek out contact, which is certainly not the case for Wright.
The Fit in Miami
When evaluating Wright’s fit with the Dolphins, a few things are clear and obvious. It’s no surprise that a running back with his athletic ability would be of interest for an offense that is already filled with elite speedsters. The Dolphins are committed to playing a style of football that emphasizes speed and innovation, and no back in this year’s class was a better fit than Wright in that regard.
ONE SNAP.
ONE PLAY.
TOUCHDOWN @VOL_FOOTBALL. pic.twitter.com/SRREQmbxHF— CBS Sports College Football 🏈 (@CBSSportsCFB) November 18, 2023
When digging a little deeper into the scheme and team tendencies, there are other notable talking points. The Dolphins lined up with two or more running backs on the field on 20.2% of their snaps last season, the second-highest rate in the league.
Raheem Mostert is coming off a career-high 582 snaps last season but is 32 years old entering his 10th season. De’Von Achane lined up as a receiver on 33% of his snaps last season, and his 77.7 receiving grade ranked fifth among all running backs, suggesting more usage as a receiver could be in the works.
Both Mostert and Achane have struggled to stay healthy at one point or another, so Wright could be called upon early and often to keep everyone fresh.
No team struggled more than the Dolphins in crucial short-yardage situations last season. They converted just 49.0% of third and fourth downs with 1-2 yards to go, the worst mark in the league. Not surprisingly, their 14 first downs rushing in these situations were also the fewest. Only the Minnesota Vikings (41.8%) ran it less than the Dolphins (43.1%), which coach McDaniel openly admitted they needed to improve on more than one occasion.
In Jaylen Wright, the Dolphins have a back who can convert those tough short-yardage situations. While he is not the biggest back, he is strong and consistently able to keep the legs churning through contact. He will not shy away from opposing defenders; he’s willing to lower the shoulder and play with a level of physicality the Dolphins desperately need more of.
The Dolphins didn’t ask much of their backs in terms of pass-blocking last season. Mostert led the team with 34 such snaps, while Achane was asked to pass-block just once all season long. Miami also led the league in empty formation percentage (15.9%), which is a combination of scheme and personnel.
Wright immediately steps in as the team's clear best pass-blocking running back. No quarterback had a quicker average time to throw than Tua Tagovailoa’s 2.34 seconds, but the offense suffered at times because it could not hold up long enough in pass protection.
With Wright in the mix, the Dolphins have a back who can stick a linebacker blitzing up the middle, which is often the difference between success and failure on third and long.
Jaylen Wright is a member of the club, baby. #BacksWhoBlock https://t.co/o10KUjbyur pic.twitter.com/QuuNYEZqnV
— Kyle Crabbs (@GrindingTheTape) April 29, 2024
The Bottom Line
The Dolphins will enter the 2024 season with a three-headed monster in the backfield in Mostert, Achane and Wright — potentially one of the fastest backfields in the history of the NFL.
They have done a tremendous job building up the position without spending big money or investing premium draft capital to achieve it.
Every NFL team will have their depth tested at some point in the season. At the very least, Jaylen Wright should be able to carve out a third-down role in the offense to begin the season.
However, considering Mostert's extensive injury history and the importance of limiting Achane’s touches game-to-game, it is not a stretch to say that Wright could push for the team lead in snaps at the position by the end of the year.
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