Former Tennessee running back Jaylen Wright made his professional football debut on Friday night, impressing for the Miami Dolphins in their 20-13 win over the Atlanta Falcons.
Wright led both teams in rushing, tallying 55 rushing yards and a touchdown on just 10 carries. He scored on a six-yard touchdown run. It is only the preseason but it was still the first touchdown of Wright’s professional career and it came in his first game.
.@__jw12 making the most of the fumble recovery QUICK
📱: Stream #ATLvsMIA on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/AD2heWz7QB
— NFL (@NFL) August 10, 2024
The touchdown was a cool moment but it was the overall impressive performance that was turning heads. Wright had a number of nice runs including when he bobbled a backwards pass before making multiple defenders miss and turning it into a first down run.
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On the play and in his first professional performance, Wright showed the same characteristics that made him a star at Tennessee. He displayed strong vision with elite balance and vision.
Jaylen Wright: FAST 💨#FinsUp | #RatedRookie pic.twitter.com/0eZxx37o71
— The Draft Network (@TheDraftNetwork) August 10, 2024
The Miami Dolphins selected Wright in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft after his breakout junior season at Tennessee. In Miami, Wright joins a busy running back room that includes De’Von Achane and Raheem Mostert. It will be challenging for Wright to have a significant role in Miami’s high powered offense. However, Mostert is an older running back and there’s plenty of opportunities waiting for Wright in the future.
Over the course of his three-year career at Tennessee, Wright rushed for 2,297 yards and 18 touchdowns. In his junior season, the North Carolina native rushed for 1,013 yards and four touchdowns on just 137 carries. Wright was the first Tennessee running back to rush for 1,000 yards in a single season since Jalen Hurd in 2015.
