NFL Draft Scouting Report: Jay Ajayi

Dec 31, 2014; Glendale, AZ, USA; Boise State Broncos running back Jay Ajayi (27) runs the ball against the Arizona Wildcats during the second quarter of the 2014 Fiesta Bowl at Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports

My Take

Strengths: Like Brugler said, Ajayi has really quick feet and burst that gets him from zero to 60 in one step. He has good vision and change of direction to help him make something out of nothing at times. Ajayi is a great broken field runner that seems to have eyes in the back of his head at times in space.

He runs very hard, fighting for every inch that he can get, making him not so easy to bring down. He has good hands out of the backfield and easily shakes linebackers in coverage to get open. Has good awareness in pass protection as he usually knows who he needs to pick up when opposing teams blitz.

Weaknesses: He runs with all the determination you want to see a running back run with but he’s not powerful. I agree that he’s not very fast as I’ve seen him get hawked (caught from behind) too. I also agree that he tries to bounce things outside too often while he doesn’t have the speed to make it around the corners consistently.

And Zlerlein was right about Ajayi’s pass-blocking technique as he too often goes too low when cut-blocking. He also fumbles too much because he carries the ball in the wrong hand almost every time he gets it. I’m not going to call the trouble he got in years ago a weakness now because his getting back into the good graces of his coaching staff after means he has been reliable since.

Next: Bottom Line