Dolphins trade up to select Tennessee's Jaylen Wright, add to RB room in Round 4 of 2024 NFL Draft

Mike McDaniel’s offense for the Miami Dolphins has gained another dynamic running back.

The Dolphins traded a 2025 third-round pick to the Philadelphia Eagles to select Tennessee running back Jaylen Wright with the No. 120 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft on Saturday.

The Fins’ eagerness to add Wright to their already dynamic RB room is highlighted by their decision to sell assets for next year.

Wright joins TD-leader Raheem Mostert, 2023 third-round blazer De’Von Achane, veteran Jeff Wilson, Salvon Ahmed and Chris Brooks. Mostert’s age at 32 years old and Achane’s injury history last season likely added desire for the Dolphins to add another speedster to the equation.

Wright, a dynamic running back who clocked a 4.38-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine, enters the league with a perfect mix of size and speed that attracted NFL teams during the draft. In an effort to secure a back capable of delivering big plays in both the running and passing game, Miami traded up to draft Wright.

He seamlessly integrates into McDaniel’s offense, capable of exploiting the gap and making a run. His performance in his three-season stint at Tennessee provides ample evidence, where he topped the Volunteers in rushing yards in 2022 and 2023. In his final season, he concluded with 1,013 yards and four touchdowns, achieved on a mere 137 carries. This accomplishment made him Tennessee’s first 1,000-yard rusher since Jalen Hurd’s feat in 2015.

The average of 7.4 yards per attempt that he achieved in 2023 demonstrated his ability to optimize returns on each carry, a trait that appears increasingly rare in the current NFL landscape. As many NFL teams now prefer committees instead of lead backs, Wright could serve as a low-risk, high-yield workhorse who can amass yards, a significant amount of which would be due to his outstanding speed.

Tracking how McDaniel allocates carries early in the season will be interesting, yet Miami’s decision to trade a future pick for Wright indicates their continued desire to enhance the speed of the league’s fastest group.