If you’re thinking long-term, it’s often worth falling in the NFL Draft to find the right spot. That’s exactly what happened with former Tennessee Football running back Jaylen Wright. The 5’10” 210-pound speedster was selected by the Miami Dolphins in the fourth round, with the 120th overall pick.
Miami traded a 2025 third-round pick to the Philadelphia Eagles to move up to get Wright, who ran a 4.38 40 at the NFL Combine over a month ago. With the Vols, Wright had 368 carries for 2,297 yards (6.2 yards per carry) and 18 touchdowns to go with 30 catches for 171 yards in his career. He got his call in a very emotional moment.
This past year alone, Wright had 137 carries for 1,013 yards (7.4 YPC) and four touchdowns to go with 22 catches for 141 yards, propelling his NFL Draft profile. His size combined with his physicality and dazzling speed, which Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel loves, are what make him a perfect fit.
With De’Von Achane and Raheem Mostert, Miami already has a two-headed monster at the position. They will be able to immediately plug Wright in and allow him to have an impact. Since he’s splitting reps with two other players, he won’t take the early beating many running backs take while on their rookie contract.
Meanwhile, Wright is also playing in a creative offense with a lot of talent around him, which should give him the opportunities to be the big-play guy he was when he was with the Vols. Given all the weapons on the team, he’ll have plenty of opportunities to stand out.
Most notably, though, Wright’s four-year scale is perfect timing. Mostert’s contract is up in 2026, when Wright will start to get more reps as a third-year back. Achane’s is up in 2027, meaning he’ll be the feature back in his contract year.
Simply put, Wright’s in the perfect spot to be a factor for two years, make noise a third year and then only have to shoulder a heavy load for one year, which will be his contract year. Simply put, his NFL Draft landing spot positions him to be set up for the future if he plays it right.
