Dane Brugler's profile on him. I consider him the best of the media draft gurus.
4. JAYLEN WRIGHT | Tennessee 5104 | 210 lbs. | 3JR Durham, N.C. (Southern) 4/1/2003 (age 21.07) #0
BACKGROUND: Jaylen Wright, one of four children, was born in Raleigh, N.C. He got his start in football as part of the Durham Eagles Pop Warner league and was a standout running back at Carrington Middle School (also ran track growing up). Wright attended Southern Durham High School and saw varsity action as a freshman and sophomore. Despite being part of a backfield committee as a junior, he earned All-Conference honors with 901 rushing yards on 89 carries (10.1 average) and five touchdowns, while adding six receptions for 62 yards. He led Southern to a 10-2 record and the 2019 conference championship. Wright was expected to be the team’s featured runner as a senior, but the 2020 season was canceled because of the pandemic. He was also an accomplished track athlete in high school and won the state 3A championship in the indoor 55-meter dash as a sophomore (6.35 seconds), then set a personal best as a junior (6.25) — a top-10 time nationally. Wright also posted personal bests of 6.72 in the 60-meter dash, 10.85 in the 100, 21.98 in the 200, and 51.41 in the 400. A three-star recruit, Wright was the No. 40 running back in the 2021 recruiting class and the No. 35 recruit in North Carolina. After his breakout junior season (and his blazing 55-meter dash), he received his first Division I offer (Liberty) in January 2020. Rutgers, Arizona State, and FAU followed with offers of their own. Several SEC programs then entered the picture, including Arkansas, Mississippi State, South Carolina, and Tennessee. After attending junior day in Knoxville, Tenn., Wright committed to the Volunteers and former head coach Jeremy Pruitt in March 2020 and signed in December 2020. Pruitt was fired in January 2021, and Josh Heupel took over as head coach, but Wright stayed committed. He was the No. 12 recruit in the Vols’ 2021 class. After three seasons, he elected to skip the 2023 bowl game and his senior season to enter the 2024 NFL Draft. Wright accepted his invitation to the 2024 Senior Bowl.
STRENGTHS: Muscular build with defined arms and quads … gives his blockers a chance to do their jobs before using his burst to accelerate through holes … has track speed, but his ability to cut away from pursuit angles at full speed and create missed tackles is more impressive … most of his explosives came on the outside, where he could bounce and find a runway (three carries of 50-plus yards in 2023) … keeps his shoulders square and his feet underneath him for quick lateral cuts … runs with balance and run strength, and he averaged 4.35 yards after contact in 2023 (third best in the FBS among backs with 130-plus carries) … willing to step up and stone linebackers in pass pro … only 30 career catches, but he caught the ball well when targeted … plenty of tread left — fewer than 400 offensive touches in college… produced when given the opportunity, averaging 6.24 yards per carry over the last two seasons.
WEAKNESSES: Prefers to step/spin out of contact and doesn’t consistently drop his pads into contact or fall forward … inside vision is inconsistent and will leave some meat on the bone … needs to be quicker adjusting his tempo to attack daylight as it opens … wide base helps his balance mid-cut but also hinders some of his lateralexplosiveness at times … anticipation in pass protection is still developing … fumbled five times over the last two seasons, although only once in 2023 … minimalspecial-teams experience and wasn’t used as a returner in college … scored just four times in 2023 … wasn’t asked to carry the offense (12 or fewer offensive touches in half of his games in 2023) … underwent a procedure on his left thumb after the 2023 season.
SUMMARY: A one-year starter, Wright was the lead back in head coach Josh Heupel’s version of the Air Raid spread scheme. He led the Volunteers in rushing each of the last two seasons and finished No. 1 among all FBS running backs in yards per carry in 2023 (7.39). Wright, who formerly was roommates with speedster wide receiver Jalin Hyatt, is a good-sized back with the foot quickness and speed bursts that lead to explosive plays (25.74 percent of his carries in 2023 went for 10-plus yards, No. 1 in the FBS). Though his pace and patience must improve for more controlled runs, he showed a lot of promise with his receiving skills and pass-pro reps on his 2023 film. Overall, Wright needs to develop a better feel for using tempo to maximize what is there, but his run strength, balance, and ability to cut/weave at top speed make him dangerous with the ball in his hands. He projects as a scheme-versatile back (stylistically similar to Jerome Ford) who can handle work on all three downs.
GRADE: 3rd Round (No. 83 overall)
