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Jaylen Wright scores first touchdown in NFL preseason debut

Wade-Peeryby:Wade Peery08/09/24
jaylen-wright-scores-first-touchdown-in-nfl-preseason-debut
© Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

The Miami Dolphins are home to some of the league’s most explosive skill players. And they went out and got another speedster in the 2024 NFL Draft, former Tennessee Volunteer running back Jaylen Wright. He got his first taste of live NFL action on Friday night, taking on the Atlanta Falcons in the preseason. Wright scored his first touchdown in his debut with the Dolphins.

That wasn’t the only nice run Wright had on Friday night. He had another one where he reversed fields, making his way to the other side of the field for a nice gain.

His speed was on fine display on that one. Thus far he’s had 10 carries for 55 yards and one touchdown.

The Dolphins feature a very crowded backfield full of explosive running backs: Raheem Mostert was their leading rusher last year (1,012 yards) and Devon Achane had 800 yards (7.8 yards per carry). Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel discussed the impressive depth in his running back room this offseason.

More on Jaylen Wright and his football career

The Dolphins traded up with the Eagles in order to grab Wright in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft.

Wright spent three seasons at Tennessee and steadily improved with more opportunities with the Volunteers. This past season, Wright had 137 carries for 1,013 yards, four touchdowns and 7.4 yards per carry. He added 22 catches for 141 yards.

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In his career, Wright had 368 carries for 2,297 yards, 18 touchdowns and 6.2 yards per carry.

As a member of the Class of 2021, Wright was a three-star recruit out of Durham (N.C.) Southern, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He was the No. 26 overall prospect in the state, the No. 35 running back in the class and the No. 515 overall prospect in the class.

What draft analysts are saying about him

NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein evaluated the tape on Wright and gave his analysis. His NFL comparison is Melvin Gordon.

“Explosive back with good size and breakaway speed,” Zierlein wrote. “Wright’s running style is more linear than free-flowing, which limits his cut smoothness and elusiveness on the second level. His vision and aggression as an interior runner are just average, but that won’t stop him from putting yards on the stat sheet.

“He regularly bounced runs wide and beat the pursuit around the corner, so a move to a stretch-based running attack would be a natural fit, allowing his speed to shine. He’s capable of running with power, but he will default into finesse at times. Wright’s big-play potential and talent as a pass catcher should make him a Day 2 target as a future starter.”

On3’s Nick Kosko also contributed to this article.