Why Tennessee's Jaylen Wright is one of Mel Kiper's favorite running backs in the NFL Draft
Mel Kiper Jr. on Monday started NFL Draft week by profiling 13 of his favorite prospects across different position groups entering Thursday’s first round. Tennessee running back Jaylen Wright made the cut for the longtime ESPN NFL Draft analyst.
“Wright made my list of risers after the combine, where he put up a 4.38-second 40-yard dash, an 11-foot-2 broad jump and a 38-inch vertical leap,” Kiper wrote, “all of which ranked close to the top at his position.
“He is a supreme athlete, and his tape matches that too. In 2023, he averaged 7.4 yards per carry, which ranked third in the FBS, and 4.1 yards after contact per carry, which ranked ninth.”
Wright carried 137 times last season for 1,013 yards and had four rushing touchdowns while averaging 7.4 yards per carry.
Over the last three seasons 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.
“Wright hits the hole decisively,” Kiper wrote, “but I also love that he is a stellar pass-blocker. He can handle blitzers and play on third downs in the NFL. He caught only 30 passes in three seasons for the Vols, but he has the tools to develop as a pass-catcher.”
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Wright caught caught 22 passes for 141 yards last season. He had two catches for eight yards in 2022 and six catches for 22 yards as a freshman in 2021.
Ultimately Kiper projected Wright as a third-round pick and the second running back off the board at the NFL Draft. The first round is set for Thursday at 8 p.m. Eastern Time (TV: ESPN, ABC, NFL Network). The second and third rounds get underway Friday at 7 p.m. ET and Rounds 4-7 begin Saturday at Noon ET.
Kiper and ESPN’s Field Yates in a three-round mock draft last week projected Wright to go No. 77 overall to the Las Vegas Raiders. ESPN’s Jordan Reid in his seven-round mock on Monday had Wright at No. 91 overall to the Green Bay Packers.
“Wright is my second-ranked running back,” Kiper wrote, “but I projected only one back (Texas’ Jonathon Brooks) in the first two rounds of my latest mock draft, just based on the value of the position. I see Wright being picked early in Round 3 and making an impact as a rookie.”
