Sunday, May 17, 2015

1.13 Pittsburgh BIG PAPAS - RB Jay Ajayi

In the real world: Ajayi did everything he could to prove he can hang in the NFL, like leading the nation in missed tackles (according to ESPN's KC Joyner). But a number of NFL teams raised red flags regarding a knee injury suffered early in his college career (2011). There reportedly is bone-on-bone contact, so the great fear is that microfracture surgery may be required on the knee down the road, and that's the main reason he fell to Round 5. (Ajayi insists that the knee feels fine now.) He's also had (stop me if you've heard this one before) ball security issues (11 fumbles over the last two seasons, 7 of which were recovered by the opposing team). Note: Lamar Miller, the current starting running back in Miami, becomes a free agent next year.
In the TUFF world: The BIG PAPAS found themselves with two needs: Either reinforce depth at running back, or reinforce depth at quarterback, where 2014 trade acquisition Nick Foles was a bit of a letdown (10 INTs against 13 TDs). Either way would have been good, so Ajayi is a good pick, assuming the knee holds up for at least a few more years. Besides, with Andrew Luck as the starter, Pittsburgh should be set at that position for years to come, but could they count on Foles and/or free agent pickup Mark Sanchez if Luck were to get hurt? Let's not forget what happened to the Meat Goats in 2008 after Tom Brady tore his ACL.

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