A former Tennessee Vols standout was named by 247Sports as one of this year’s biggest winners at the NFL scouting combine.
Three former Vols were invited to this year’s combine in Indianapolis — running back Jaylen Wright, cornerback Kamal Hadden, and quarterback Joe Milton.
Of that group, Wright was named by 247Sports as one of the week’s biggest winners.
Wright put up a 4.38 time in the 40-yard dash and he had the longest broad jump of any running back at 11 feet and two inches.
Wright, who still had a year of eligibility remaining at Tennessee, declared for the 2024 NFL Draft after rushing for 1,013 yards and four touchdowns as a junior.
The North Carolina native has obvious speed — which he showed on several long touchdown runs during the 2023 season — but it’s not just the speed that makes Wright an intriguing draft prospect.
Early in Wright’s career, he had a reputation for being a running back that wasn’t that physical. He quickly erased that reputation in the second half of his sophomore season and as a junior. Wright’s physicality, combined with his patience in letting blocks set up, is what led to the former Vol averaging 7.4 yards per carry in 2023.
It’s still a bit early to get a good read on where Wright will be selected in the 2024 NFL Draft. But after a strong weekend at the combine, it’s safe to say that he won’t be falling to the later rounds of the draft.
