Miami Dolphins: Ajayi’s opportunity to shine
By Sean Denison
In the fifth round of the 2015 NFL draft, the Miami Dolphins selected running back Jay Ajayi out of Boise State. Ajayi was once regarded as one of the top prospects in the draft, but a knee injury sustained in October of 2011 had many teams skeptical of the English-born battering ram.
Many analysts covering the NFL draft praised the Dolphins with their selection of Ajayi because they thought the Boise State standout had the potential to be the “steal” of the draft. But thus far, we haven’t seen a whole lot from Ajayi. In fact, Dolphins fans haven’t seen him at all—well, at least against an opposing team.
More from Dolphins News
- Tua Tagovailoa practicing with teammates is everything a leader does
- 4 offensive tackles Miami Dolphins could draft at 51
- Miami Dolphins don’t need CB help but these 5 could be available at 51
- 4 players that could replace Wilkins if Miami Dolphins don’t re-sign him
- Miami Dolphins have a starting point with Wilkins after Simmons deal
Ajayi missed the Dolphins’ first preseason game after sitting out of practice for an entire week with a hamstring injury; and before that, during the Dolphins’ scrimmage game, Ajayi only carried the ball once. So far, nothing really exciting has come out the once sought after prodigy—except maybe his blonde-tipped Rastafarian dreadlocks bursting out of his helmet.
But all of that can change Saturday night at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina. For the first time, Ajayi will have the opportunity to take reps out of the backfield against an opposing defense in a real-game setting. Luckily for Ajayi, it’s against a Carolina team that had the second worst rush defense last season.
Live Feed
FanSided
Once being nothing short of a guarantee to make the 53-man roster, Ajayi—because of the depth at running back, his inability to pass protect, and his injury concerns—has to prove to the coaches that the chance they took at taking him in the draft will pay off in the end. If Ajayi can make the most of his opportunity against Carolina, he can resurface as the front-runner in taking the spot behind Lamar Miller in the running back rotation.
It’s way to early to be concerned about Ajayi and his future, but in a day and age where we want instant gratification from our athletes, it’s hard not to be a tad bit frustrated or worried. But out of all running backs on this year’s roster, AJayi’s running style compliments Lamar Miller’s the most—a reliable yards-after-contact runner. It should be interesting to see what unit Ajayi gets to run with Saturday night. Hopefully we’ll get a chance to see him go against Carolina’s first or second team units
I have a lot of hope for Ajayi. Barring injury, I believe he can become a solid running back in this league. In uniform, Ajayi resembles Dolphin great Ricky Williams. If his play resembles anything close to Williams, the Dolphins definitely got the steal of the draft.