2024 Dynasty Rookie Early Look: Jaylen Wright, RB Tennessee
Fantasy fans are excited about the receivers and quarterbacks in the 2024 rookie class. Looking at the Rookie Dynasty ADP right now, the first running back selected is at pick 11. This is a drastic change from the last few years when we had Bijan Robinson, Jahmyr Gibbs, Breece Hall, Najee Harris, and Jonathan Taylor.
The 2024 rookie class will be headlined at the top with Marvin Harrison Jr, Malik Nabers, and Rome Odunze – especially as they are likely to be very early picks in this year’s draft. Then I expect to see Caleb Williams followed by Drake Maye and Jayden Daniels. Owners in your fantasy draft are also going to chase Sam LaPorta‘s tight end production and secure Brock Bowers into the top half of rookie drafts.
The RB group might not have the flashy names of years past but with such a loaded group at WR and QB, a lot of value will be pushed down the board elsewhere. Jaylen Wright is one of those prospects who should be of value later in drafts.
Recruitment
Courtesy of 247 Sports.
Coming out of North Carolina, Wright was seen as a three-star prospect and the 38th-ranked RB in the country. He did not have the big high school statistics of other backs. Unfortunately due to the COVID pandemic, his high school career came to an end after his junior year.
Courtesy of MaxPreps.
Averaging nearly ten yards a carry is rather impressive. He did not add much as a receiver at the high school level and it would have been interesting to see if another year might have improved his recruiting odds. He is listed as having received 13 offers on 247 Sports, with the COVID pandemic having had a big impact on recruiting.
Coming out of HS, Wright was listed at 5’11” and 187 pounds, with a frame that a collegiate weightlifting program could easily add the needed strength and muscle to. Wright’s speed shows on tape in this clip from 2020.
WATCH: Tennessee commit Jaylen Wright shows off speed with hand-timed run of 4.28 seconds in 40-yard dash.https://t.co/TNgQL0As19 pic.twitter.com/RQJVPR7VSH
— 247Sports (@247Sports) June 22, 2020
Collegiate Career
Courtesy of Sports Reference.
Wright was a model of consistency at Tennessee, playing 12+ games in each of the last two seasons. In his first two seasons on the Volunteers, the offense was set as a high-flying passing attack. The run was used sparingly to set up those big vertical strikes.
With Hendon Hooker leaving after the 2022 season the team changed with Joe Milton at QB. Utilizing three RBs and the size of Milton, the Volunteers changed their offense up which limited the volume that Wright received in the ground game but he became more efficient.
With the combine underway, we should see some of the physical prowess that Wright has. Listed at 5’11” and 210 pounds on the Volunteers team page, I am excited to see what he can do. Braelon Allen is likely going to be the talk of the RB combine based on his size and others have the name value at this point but you will hear more and more about Wright after the combine.
Jaylen Wright could truly be a STEAL in 2024
📍1st in Yards Per Attempt (7.4)
📍40 Time: 4.31 (99th%)
📍Early DeclareHere are ALL the boxes that Wright checks:
➖Pass Blocking: Gave up 0 sacks in 2023
➖Durability: Played 12+ Games in ’22 + ’23
➖Efficiency: 7.4 YPA in ’23… pic.twitter.com/rRv34RCewq— Austin Abbott (@AustinAbbottFF) February 21, 2024
Athletic Profile
College Football’s Fastest Five: Week 12
3. @Vol_Football RB Jaylen Wright (@__jw12) 22.2 mph #ReelAnalytics #GBO pic.twitter.com/AvrrtwmRMJ
— Reel Analytics (@RAanalytics) November 20, 2023
Wright landed on Bruce Feldman’s yearly “freak list” with his athletic numbers. The clip above shows him hitting 22.2 mph on the run against Georgia, with a 23.6 listed GPS at practice. He is listed as having hit 44 inches on the vertical and a 10-8 broad jump.
Strengths
- Speed. Explosive out the gate and has that long speed to change a game on one carry. Has the ability to be patient at the line of scrimmage and then exploit a seam and take the ball all the way.
- Patience to allow a play to develop. Doesn’t run into the back of his lineman trying to go 0-60 the moment he gets the ball.
- Allows the OL time to set their blocks before pushing the point of attack. Would excel in a zone system.
- Well-rounded RB who contributes in the passing game and does well in pass blocking.
Be sure to check out our 2024 Dynasty Fantasy Football Rookie Rankings.
Weaknesses
- How can he handle inside runs coming from the Volunteers system?
- Good contact balance but how can he handle work at the goal line?
- That patience that I listed as a plus can make him hesitant and could be detrimental at the next level as he gets stuck waiting for that opening.
Draft Value
Courtesy of NFL Mock Draft Database.
Right now, NFL Mock Draft Database projects Wright as a day-three pick in the fourth round of the draft. A strong combine would help push Wright into the back end of day two as a third-round back.
Dynasty Outlook
Currently, in rookie mock drafts, Wright is going towards the back end of round three. That should change with a solid combine. I do not believe that he will be on that meteoric climb into round one though at any point in the fantasy football rookie draft process. There are just too many WRs and other skill-position guys for the RBs to dethrone this year.
Here at DLF, our rookie rankings have Wright as the eighth-ranked RB. Overall he is seen as the 28th-ranked rookie prospect. In superflex drafts, he will get further pushed down the draft boards. However, without having a standout “generational” RB this year he should be able to climb up the RB ranks.
Wright is a solid RB prospect who gashed some strong SEC defenses and played against the best in college football on Saturdays. His adjustment from the Volunteers offense might be difficult but he has the physical tools to impress on Sunday and carve out a role.
Pete is a Western Washington University (Go Vikings! Undefeated at Football since 2009!) History grad with a doctorate in dynasty football, from a certificate he bought online. He prefers stats and analytics but realizes film grinding is an important part of the process. Dabbles in "Mild Takes" and believes in the process.
