Ranking the Top 15 Running Backs in the 2015 NFL Draft

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3. Jay Ajayi, 5’11.5, 221, Boise State

Ajayi is another back who could have long-term durability concerns thanks to the 397 touches (347 carries, 50 receptions) he had in 2014. As long as Ajayi can keep it together, though, he’s a very effective back with a wide-ranging skill set and very few weaknesses.

Ajayi is a big, powerful back with tremendous command of his balance. He has impressive ballcarrier vision, gets to the outside well, and is also a strong, purposeful vertical runner. He’s a very good receiver with lots of experience contributing to the passing game, and he’s a high-effort pass protector, though he needs to do some work to improve his technique in that area.

Ajayi doesn’t always appear to be well-conditioned and has slowed up significantly on some long runs while at Boise State. There could also be some off-the-field concerns about him stemming from an incident in which he was caught stealing sweatpants from Walmart.

Ajayi appears to be ready to be a starter from day one, and he can be a legitimate three-down back as long as he improves his pass protection skills by the time the regular season comes around. With Todd Gurley coming off a torn ACL, Ajayi may have the easiest path of anyone in this class to becoming an every-down running back.

You can see my complete scouting report on Ajayi HERE.

Next: 2. Duke Johnson