Revisiting the Trade to Get Jaylen Wright ... And Whether It Was the Right Move

Examining the Miami Dolphins 2024 draft-day trade that brought running back Jaylen Wright from different angles

Miami Dolphins running back Jaylen Wright (25) runs with the football against New York Jets linebacker Jamien Sherwood (44) during the second quarter at Hard Rock Stadium last season. / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Knowing the level of needs the Miami Dolphins roster has right now, do you think they wish they had another pick in the top 100 of the 2025 NFL draft?

Miami drafted running back Jaylen Wright in the fourth round last year with a pick they obtained by giving the Philadelphia Eagles the team’s third-round pick this year, and it's fair to wonder whether the Dolphins made the correct decision in deciding to use the capital to land the speedy Tennessee back.

TRADING UP FOR A RUNNING BACK

At a position generally devalued in the draft the past decade or so, the Dolphins decided in 2024 that without their own fourth-round pick, they needed to trade future capital to select a running back.

At the time it was a curious move, but it did spur a mini-run on fourth-round running backs, so Miami must have felt it could not wait until its next pick in round 5 to address the position.

Keep in mind that at the time, the roster had Raheem Mostert, De'Von Achane, Jeff Wilson Jr., Salvon Ahmed and Chris Brooks all under contract. They had other seemingly more pressing positional needs.

And while hindsight can anchor the belief that Miami needed a back, the fact remains that Achane still took the lion’s share of the ’24 carries and even Mostert had more (85) than Wright (68). Wilson barely played, Ahmed was waived August 19 and Brooks was released via injury settlement on September 2. The next day, Green Bay signed him to their practice squad and eventually to their active roster and he ended up finishing the season with 36 carries, 183 yards (5.1 avg.), one touchdown and 11 catches for 69 yards.

UP-AND-DOWN ROOKIE SEASON FOR WRIGHT

Wright had some impressive moments, but not enough as his final tally for 2024 was 68 carries for 249 yards (3.7 avg.) and no TDs. He had three receptions for 8 yards.

It would be unfair to count Wright out this early, as he still has the speed and burst that drew the Dolphins to him, as well as a year in the system.

It’s that last part that may be most important because in watching his runs from 2024; he struggled to see lanes unless they were provided by a healthy Alec Ingold, where he could just trail his fullback to the hole, or on plays where TE Julian Hill gave him more than enough daylight to see. He also had too many attempts that went for zero or negative yards.

WAS WRIGHT RIGHT BASED ON ’24?

If Miami did, in fact, feel it had to make the move up to select a back, was Wright the best choice? And what if they had waited until their next pick which was in the fifth round?

Though this is all said through the clear lens of hindsight, the answer is not super encouraging.

In that run of backs in the ’24 draft mentioned earlier, three selected just after Wright were clearly better. Five picks later at pick 125, the Bucs picked Bucky Irving (Oregon), who finished 10th in the league with 1,122 yards. He averaged 5.4 yards per carry and had eight TDs with 47 receptions for 392 yards — more receiving yards than Wright had rushing.

Three picks later at 128, the Bills chose Ray Davis (Kentucky) who rushed 113 times for 442 yards and three TDs, while the 49ers picked Isaac Guerendo (Louisville) a pick later and the versatile back posted 84 carries for 420 yards (5.0 avg.), 4 touchdowns and 15 catches for 152 yards filling in for injured star Christian McCaffrey.

If the Dolphins had waited until the fifth-round pick, where they ultimately opted for edge defender Mohamed Kamara, they could have selected Tyrone Tracy (Purdue), who was a top 25 NFL back with the Giants after being selected with pick 166 (192 carries, 839 yards, 4.4 avg., 5 TD).

One year does not a career make and there is no inference here that these backs are all better than Wright. They did, however, all post significantly better rookie seasons.

WHAT DID THE TRADE END UP BEING?

Giving up a third-round pick to get a fourth in the normal price when that lower-round pick comes in the next year, though the Dolphins probably didn't think it would end up being the 79th overall selection.

After all, the Dolphins' 2024 third-round pick would have been the 86th overall had it not been forfeited as part of the sanctions the NFL imposed for (officially) tampering violations.

Maybe the hardest part to digest is where things are today.

Wright is an unknown. There is hope for him, but the early returns were not great considering running back is usually one of the easier positions to make the transition from college to pro.

Not only do running backs tend to be drafted a little lower in general, but this year is one of the best years from top to bottom at the running back position in quite some time. It stands to reason a number of backs are going to go lower than they should, providing good value compared to other drafts.

At pick 79, the Dolphins could have their choice of any style back they desired. Virginia Tech’s super explosive Bhaysul Tuten; Kansas State 220-pound ankle breaker DJ Giddens; UCF’s versatile breakaway back RJ Harvey; and Texas Tech power back Tahj Brooks are just a few options Miami could go with and, best of all, they wouldn’t necessarily have to do it at pick 79. Brooks, for example, could go as low as the 5th or 6th round.

This draft's deep running back class could have given Miami another possible benefit if there had been no trade for Wright — it could have used that higher third-round selection to fill need at a different position altogether, like guard, cornerback or safety and still been able to address running back in later rounds.

Hopefully for Wright, a year in the system, the weightroom and the running backs room will elevate his contributions to a level that the discussion of whether Miami made the right choice in taking him or not one that’s a no-brainer — in his and the team’s favor.

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