Last year there was a back selected in the 4th round, who per draft profile had an NFC East scout say this about him "I don't see him as a starter. I think he can be a backup or compete as a third down back, but he doesn't run tough enough to be able to project him as a starter in really any scheme." The bottom line per NFL.com "He has some speed and creativity, but without an ability to maximize his yards with each carry, teams could peg him as a "committee back" with an ability to play on third downs."
Sound familiar? That guy was
Jeremy Langford. Who was
featured last year by Adam Gase to a tune of 17 rushes and over 6 targets per game in the 3 games that Forte sat last year and still averaged 13 rushes and 4 targets per game over his last 10 overall which included playing behind a pro bowl caliber player.
In addition to having the exact same "3rd down back at best" marginalization, they both have very similar physical profiles (Langford: 6'0" 208lbs, Drake: 6'1" 210lbs), while scoring very similar combine scores.
Let's stop with the idea that some how Ajayi escaped the draft. He was the 3rd running back taken, a high 3rd round investment vs a guy who has not shown anything plus at the pro level, who has very little draft capital from a different FO, with significant injury red flags. Oh and this new FO/coaching staff have tried to replace him 3 or 4 times already this offseason. It's almost amazing to me how out of control the group think on this situation has become and makes me feel terrible that I don't own any Ajayi shares to cash out.
If your scouting says that Drake just can't make it at the NFL level, fair enough. I'd argue that he has a better pedigree than Langford, and what I see on tape is a guy that has the size, far more draft capital and also game breaking ability to dominate touches in this backfield. We need to evolve the concept of a feature back simply being a guy who can power through the tackles. I'll paraphrase Vic Fangio, who this weekend said this about the Bears drafting of DE Leonard Floyd, who basically said that there will be plays that show up on tape where you are like damn if only he weighed 20 more pounds, and then you will see tape where you are like wow nobody else on our team can make those types of plays. I feel like this idea applies to the Miami backfield. Let's not pretend that Ajayi is a workhorse or 3 down back and also that Drake is a 3rd down back who is best served with limited touches.
Ajayi is not Forte. Anyone letting this guy fall past early 2nd is making a big mistake.