The experience of a former Vol shows that Tennessee RB Jaylen Wright made the right decision
Tennessee Vols junior running back Jaylen Wright announced on Friday that he's declaring for the 2024 NFL Draft. Wright thanked Tennessee's current coaching staff, fans, teammates, his parents, and former Vols running backs coach Jay Graham (he recruited Wright) in a message on Friday afternoon. Wright is declaring for the draft after rushing for 1,013 […]
Tennessee Vols junior running back Jaylen Wright announced on Friday that he's declaring for the 2024 NFL Draft.
Wright thanked Tennessee's current coaching staff, fans, teammates, his parents, and former Vols running backs coach Jay Graham (he recruited Wright) in a message on Friday afternoon.
Wright is declaring for the draft after rushing for 1,013 yards and four touchdowns in 2023. As a sophomore in 2022, Wright rushed for 875 yards and 10 touchdowns (he shared carries with Jabari Small and Dylan Sampson in each of those seasons).
It was an easy decision for Wright, who didn't have much to gain by returning to Tennessee for another season. If anything, he had plenty to lose if he would've elected to return in 2024.
Former Vols running back Arian Foster is a perfect example of what can happen if you don't leave at the right time. Foster was projected as a second round pick by the NFL draft advisory board after the 2007 season (Foster rushed for 1,193 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2007).
But instead of going pro, Foster returned for what turned out to be a disastrous final season (for himself and for Tennessee football). Foster battled injuries in 2008 while rushing for just 570 yards and one touchdown in Dave Clawson's ineffective offense (it was Clawson's only season as Tennessee's offensive coordinator).
Foster ended up going undrafted, though he was able to carve out a nice NFL career that included four trips to the Pro-Bowl. Still, the decision to return to Tennessee in 2008 cost Foster a significant amount of cash on his rookie contract.
Wright has the benefit of playing in the NIL era, but he's still wise to leave UT now while coming off the best season of his career. Even if he's a mid-round pick (it's too early to know for sure what his draft stock will look like), it's still the right decision by the North Carolina native.
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