травня
2
The Miami Dolphins might have picked up the steal of the draft by picking up British-born Boise State running back Jay Ajayi in the fifth round.
Ajayi was born in London, England to Nigerian parents before the family moved to Maryland when he was in fourth grade. He’d then move to Texas, where he played high school football before attending Boise State.
The first thing you’ll notice when you watch Ajayi are his feet, which are very quick and sudden. He played soccer growing up and it shows in the strides that he makes, which allow him to dodge tacklers.
Ajayi is also a tremendous running back to have in the passing game. He had 73 receptions for 771 yards and five touchdowns as a backfield receiver. He was the only running back in Division I-FBS to run for 1,500 yards and get 500 yards receiving in a single season in 2014, as he had 1,823 yards rushing and 535 yards receiving.
The other asset Ajayi brings to the pass game is he does a tremendous job picking up the blitz and in pass-blocking.
Ajayi is also a power back, and the likely weapon you’ll see on the field when it comes time to close out the game in a four-minute offense. He’s a reliable yards-after-contact running back who’s a physical downhill runner, and is also great in a goal-line situation.
I’d like to see the Dolphins use Ajayi and Lamar Miller together in the backfield. Ajayi provides a lot of what the Dolphins have wanted to see out of Daniel Thomas, only from a player that is a bit stronger.
Ajayi’s character went through a rigorous test of his own doing, as in 2011 he was arrested for stealing sweatpants. Since then he has fought hard to prove himself, showing character and mental toughness around the way. He also had to fight back from tearing his ACL in 2011.
That ACL injury was part of the reason why Ajayi dropped so far in the draft, as he was projected as a second-to-third down pick throughout the offseason. The Dolphins didn’t seem too concerned, and that gamble might turn out to be a good one.
Statistics courtesy of sports-reference.com/cfb.
Open all references in tabs: [1 – 8]
Comments
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.