The explosive Jaylen Wright could be a solid addition to the Broncos backfield.

One prospect the Broncos are rumored to be interested in and could select in the middle rounds of the 2024 NFL Draft is former Tennessee Running back Jaylen Wright. He is a 5-11, 210-pound running back who is considered one of the top backs in the draft. He is currently projected to be a day two or early day three selection in the draft.

He played a total of three seasons at Tennessee and has been a productive player for their offense during his time with the team. During his three seasons, he totaled 368 carries for 2,297 yards and 18 rushing touchdowns. He also had 30 career receptions for 171 yards while at Tennessee. This past season, Wright had 137 carries for 1,013 yards and 4 touchdowns while adding 22 receptions for 141 yards.

Player Profile

Jaylen Wright | Running Back | Tennessee

Height: 5-11

Weight: 210 pounds

40-time: 4.38 seconds

Arm Length: 31 ¹⁄_{2th inches}

Hand Size: 9 3/8th inches

Vertical Jump: 38 inches

Broad Jump: 11’2”

Film Room

Scouting Report

Strengths

• Has a good build and frame to handle an NFL workload
• Elite speed and explosiveness
• Has the long speed to house it if he finds the open field
• Has the speed to bounce runs to the outside and beat the defenders to the edge
• A patient runner who has the short area burst to explode through the hole
• Not a powerful back but he isn’t afraid to lower his shoulders and finish a run
• Uses his speed to make defenders miss in the open field
• When used as a receiver, he showed natural hands and the ability to contribute in that area of the game
• Solid in pass protection

Weaknesses

• Is a straight-line runner who lacks lateral agility
• Stiff-hipped and lacks lower body flexibility
• Runs a little tall and needs to lower his pad level
• Fumbled the ball 5 times in the past two years (four times in 2022 and five times in 2023)

Jaylen Wright RAS

What other analysts are saying about Tennessee running back Jaylen Wright

NFL.com’s draft analyst Lance Zierlein - Link

Explosive back with good size and breakaway speed. Wright’s running style is more linear than free-flowing, which limits his cut smoothness and elusiveness on the second level. His vision and aggression as an interior runner are just average, but that won’t stop him from putting yards on the stat sheet. He regularly bounced runs wide and beat the pursuit around the corner, so a move to a stretch-based running attack would be a natural fit, allowing his speed to shine. He’s capable of running with power, but he will default into finesse at times. Wright’s big-play potential and talent as a pass catcher should make him a Day 2 target as a future starter.

Does Tennessee running back Jaylen Wright make sense for the Broncos?

As the Chris Tomasson tweet states above, the Broncos reportedly have a “good amount of interest” in Tennessee running back Jaylen Wright. If that is true, he obviously would make sense for the Broncos.

He is an explosive back who has patience and short-area quickness to get chunk plays on the ground. While he wasn’t used a ton as a receiver in college, he has shown he has the ability to contribute in the passing game as well. He’s a solid back who would instantly improve the Broncos backfield.

I was happy to see Tomasson state that the Broncos probably draft a running back because it is needed. Javonte Williams averaged 3.6 yards per carry and looked like nothing more than a short-yardage power back. Perine flashed as a receiver at times but didn’t offer much as a runner while Jaleel McLaughlin who did look impressive at times, will be limited by his size. So, adding a back who could push to start and lead this backfield should be a priority in the draft.

With the Broncos starting a rookie quarterback or Jarrett Stidham, they need a strong running game to help make things easier for them this season. Wright could be the back to do just that.