Jay Ajayi, running back, Miami Dolphins
Despite being one of the most athletically gifted running backs of the 2015 NFL Draft class, this former Boise State standout dropped to the fifth round. The overwhelming concern here was multiple knee injuries he suffered in college and questions over the running back’s ability to play over the long term.
After taking a back seat to Lamar Miller as a rookie in 2015, Ajayi broke out big time as a sophomore. He put up two consecutive 200-plus yard performances in his first two games seeing extensive action in the NFL. Ajayi then followed that up with an absurd 206-yard performance in an all-important late-season game with playoff ramifications against the Buffalo Bills.
The explosiveness is surely here. And in reality, it looks like concerns over Ajayi’s knees have been quieted after he tallied 1,272 yards on 260 rush attempts last season.
We fully expect Miami’s passing game to be more dynamic this season after Ryan Tanenhill progressed leaps and bounds in 2016. Add in one of the most underrated offensive lines in the game, and it would not be a surprise if Ajayi were able to cross the 2,000 total yards plateau in 2017. This is how highly we think of the young running back.