It seems as though the Miami Dolphins weren’t alone in their adoration of former Tennessee running back Jaylen Wright.
They were simply alone as far as what they were willing to do to go get him.
According to ESPN NFL Insider, the Dallas Cowboys were also very high on the ex-Volunteer and would have jumped on him if they had had a selection in the fourth round.
The Cowboys were working the fringes on running back, one of several needs, but the lack of a fourth-round pick hurt their chances.
The No. 87 pick was a spot where they could have chosen a back, but the Cowboys felt Notre Dame linebacker Marist Liufau not only addressed another major need but provided the toughness to fit within Mike Zimmer’s defense. Dallas had shown enough pre-draft love to MarShawn Lloyd that the USC tailback (who went to Green Bay at No. 88) thought the Cowboys would be one of the possible teams to draft him.
The Cowboys also really liked Tennessee running back Jaylen Wright, who went No. 120 overall (the 20th pick of the fourth round) to Miami. If the Cowboys had a fourth-rounder and Wright were still available, chances are they would have jumped on him. – Jeremy Fowler, ESPN.com
Not having a fourth-round pick turned out to not be an impediment for the Miami Dolphins in claiming Wright. The Dolphins’ pick of Houston tackle Patrick Paul at pick 55 was supposed to have been the team’s last pick until the fifth round. Miami forfeited its third-round pick as part of the NFL’s investigation into the team’s tampering with Tom Brady and Sean Payton.
And now, the Dolphins will be without a third-round pick in 2025 too, as that was the price they paid to jump into the fourth round at pick 120 and grab Wright. That’s a price the Cowboys likely could have paid as well, but they chose not to.
As such, we’ll see if Wright can turn into a star in Mike McDaniel’s offense. If so, then the Cowboys might end up kicking themselves for not making that same move.