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Miami Dolphins: Jay Ajayi Could Be This Year’s Devonta Freeman

By Mark Morales-Smith

Jan 3, 2016; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Miami Dolphins running back Jay Ajayi (23) is tackled by New England Patriots outside linebacker Jamie Collins (91) during the second half at Sun Life Stadium. The Dolphins won 20-10. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 3, 2016; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Miami Dolphins running back Jay Ajayi (23) is tackled by New England Patriots outside linebacker Jamie Collins (91) during the second half at Sun Life Stadium. The Dolphins won 20-10. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports /
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Many were ready to cast Devonta Freeman aside after just one season, now they’re doing the same with Jay Ajayi. Learn from your mistakes. Ajayi is another breakout star in the making.

The vast majority of people are sleeping on Miami Dolphins running back Jay Ajayi heading into the 2016 season. It got to the point that many listed running back as perhaps the biggest need for Miami in the 2016 NFL Draft. Not only did many anticipate and believe the Dolphins should draft Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott, there was a ton of steam behind the idea of them trading up to get him.

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The team had glaring holes on the offensive line, in the linebacker corps and at cornerback, yet people inexplicably thought drafting a running back was a good idea. I’m talking both fans and analysts. Luckily the Dallas Cowboys selected him with the fourth-overall pick and it became a non-issue. Nonetheless, Ajayi is and should be the man in Miami and the team knows it.

I believe Ajayi can be this year’s Devonta Freeman. The two have a lot of parallels. In 2014, I graded out Freeman as the top running back in the NFL Draft. I had Ajayi at No. 2 in the 2015 NFL Draft. Of course that’s just my opinion, but this goes much deeper.

As a rookie Freeman was stuck on the back end of a committee and didn’t produce much. He ran the ball 65 times for 248 yards and a touchdown, while adding 30 receptions for 225 yards and an additional TD in 16 games. After just one season, many wrote off Freeman as a bust already. That’s the nature of today’s Fantasy Football driven NFL though and society in general.

Patience is no longer common in these short-sighted instant gratification times. The team drafted Tevin Coleman and he immediately became the popular pick to be the lead back in Atlanta, which made little sense if you’d watched them both play. Still, it’s an out with the old, in with the new mentality.

Dec 20, 2015; San Diego, CA, USA; Miami Dolphins running back Jay Ajayi (23) flips the ball after a touchdown in the third quarter of the game against the San Diego Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 20, 2015; San Diego, CA, USA; Miami Dolphins running back Jay Ajayi (23) flips the ball after a touchdown in the third quarter of the game against the San Diego Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports /

As we all know now, Freeman went on to have a monster season rushing for 1,061 yards and 11 TDs, and adding 73 receptions, 578 yards and another three touchdowns. Ajayi’s story is eerily similar and I predict the results will be much the same as well as he enters his sophomore season.

Ajayi much like Freeman was an outstanding college star. As a rookie he was stuck behind Lamar Miller and only managed to appear in nine games due to a rib injury. He rushed for just 187 yards and one touchdown and caught seven of his 11 targets for 90 yards. Much like Freeman, when Miller left people went almost into a panic. Now the Dolphins have drafted Kenyan Drake and he’s all the rage.

Much like Coleman is in Atlanta, Drake is a very gifted but flawed player. He’s not a complete back and not nearly as a good as Ajayi, much like Coleman and Freeman. Ajayi will see the vast majority of snaps in Miami this season and will be overwhelmingly more productive than Drake. That’s not necessarily a knock on Drake either. He’ll be a nice complement and will produce some highlight-reel plays. Nevertheless, Ajayi will be the man.

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Believe it or not, Ajayi is actually as good of a pass-catcher as Freeman and possibly better. He’s also undoubtedly a better goal-line and short-yardage back. There is no reason he can’t produce in a similar fashion and be a Breakout Player of the Year candidate.

With all the ridiculous success rookies have had of late, people forget that not every player is going to be in the Pro Bowl in their first NFL season. Yes, we have seen the Odell Beckham Jr’s of the world, but that’s not going to be everybody. Patience is a virtue that appears to be lost among today’s fan and even far too many analysts.

One more piece of information I feel many people will find interesting. I really don’t think everyone realizes how good Ajayi was in college. So I’d like to compare him to this year’s top prospect Elliott. While Elliott may have a home run burst that Ajayi could lack to an extent, Ajayi is a better pass-catcher and short-yardage back.

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Miami got extremely lucky teams were afraid of an old knee injury and allowed Ajayi to fall to round five. That’s becoming a trend with the Phins as we saw with Ole Miss star Laremy Tunsil last week. People seem to forget that a week or two before the draft he was viewed as the third best back in the draft and was projected to be a second-round pick.

The numbers are very comparable:

Ajayi vs Elliott in their final college seasons

ajayi elliott
ajayi elliott /

As you can see, Ajayi was no slouch. Look for him to be major player this year. He’ll surprise a lot of people. Especially with Miller now gone and what appears to me a much improved offensive line. Ajayi will be this year’s Devonta Freeman.

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