Boise State Pro Day Last Shot for Jay Ajayi to Stake Claim as NFL Draft's Top RB

It's been drowned out a bit by the free-agent feeding frenzy of the past week (and what a week it was), but the march toward the 2015 NFL draft in Chicago rolls on.

On Wednesday, a number of big-name schools will hold their pro days, from Athens, Georgia, to East Lansing, Michigan, and Waco, Texas.

However, only one of those pro days will take place on blue turf, and it's on that blue turf where Boise State's Jay Ajayi will have one last chance to establish himself as the top running back in the 2015 draft class.

Granted, it would be a tall order for Ajayi to make it all the way to the top of the rankings among running backs this year. It's a deep class at the position, with more than a little disparity among draftniks regarding this year's pecking order.

Rank	Matt Miller (B/R)	Rob Rang (CBS)	Tony Pauline (DI)
1.	Todd Gurley, UGA	Todd Gurley, UGA	Melvin Gordon, UW
2.	Duke Johnson, Miami	Melvin Gordon, UW	Todd Gurley, UGA
3.	Melvin Gordon, UW	Ameer Abdullah, NU	Jay Ajayi, BSU
4.	T.J. Yeldon, Alabama	Jay Ajayi, BSU	Ameer Abdullah, NU
5.	Tevin Coleman, Indiana	Duke Johnson, Miami	Duke Johnson, Miami

With that said, though, the general consensus seems to be that torn ACL or no Georgia's Todd Gurley is the cream of this year's crop, and the player with the best shot at ending a two-year streak in which no running backs were taken in the first round of the NFL draft.

After that, though, things get muddy quick.

That confusion isn't confined to draft pundits. As Tony Pauline of Draft Insider reports, scouts and front office types are all over the place about Ajayi as well.

"Right now I’m told there’s a wide opinion on where Jay Ajayi ranks amongst ball carriers," Pauline wrote. "Some teams grade the Boise State junior as the second or third rated running back on their board while others have him listed as low as the eight or ninth back."

You can count ESPN's Mel Kiper among the group that isn't overly enamored with the 6'0", 221-pound Ajayi, according to Chad Crippe of The Idaho Statesman:

"

(Ajayi) is a kid you think about maybe fourth to fifth (round), depending on the need at running back. There are only four or five teams that are even thinking about a running back in the first three or four rounds, so if those teams take somebody else then Ajayi maybe drops a bit. You’re going to get bargains at running back. He can be a bargain in the fifth or sixth round.

"

Still, at least one AFC scout told Lance Zierlein of NFL.com that in his opinion Ajayi just might be the best of this year's bunch—Gurley included:

"Of all the backs in this draft, Ajayi might be my favorite because he can do everything you want from a back and you don't have to find a complementary back to pick up the slack for him in any one area," the scout said.

Like I said, if you're looking for a consensus opinion for any back in this year's class whose name doesn't rhyme with Todd Gurley, good luck. In fact, if you find it, let me know.

And that's where Wednesday's workout comes in.

After all, there's no shortage of tape to view on Ajayi's 2014 season. If the Broncos were moving the ball in a given game, odds are good that rock was in Ajayi's hands.

Ajayi was a workhorse back in every sense of the word last year. He gained over 1,800 yards on the ground, chipped in 50 catches, scored a staggering 32 total touchdowns and became the first back in FBS history to top 1,800 rushing yards and 500 receiving yards in the same season.

Ajayi is, for lack of a better term, an angry running back on tape. He runs with great pad level and footwork, and his speed and elusiveness are both more than adequate. However, where Ajayi really seems to thrive is when it's time to get dirty.

While some running backs curl up like a frightened turtle at the first inkling of contact (Looking at you, Trent Richardson. Looking right...at...you.) Ajayi gobbles it up like a stoner with a box of Pop Tarts.

Try a lazy arm tackle, and Ajayi will run right through it. Stand Ajayi up, and his legs continue churning away until the whistle blows. Only then do they stop—sometimes.

It's a running style that's drawn numerous comparisons to Marshawn Lynch of the Seattle Seahawks, including from Greg Cosell of NFL Films on the Ross Tucker podcast, h/t Rotoworld):

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I didn't know very much about him before I watched him. He's got loose hips, quick feet. He's an easy accelerator. I think he's got the feet and agility of a smaller back. I like him an awful lot. He's not the exact same runner, but his build is very similar to Marshawn Lynch.

"

OK, so maybe it's a touch early to anoint Ajayi the second coming of Beast Mode. Besides, "Beast Mode 2.0," "Beast Mode-ier" and "Beast Mode: The Next Chapter" are all terrible nicknames.

"J-Train," however, has a nice ring to it.

What Bleacher Report NFL Analyst Zach Kruse saw while watching tape of Ajayi was a featured back at the NFL level:

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While Gurley continues his recovery from ACL surgery and (Wisconsin's Melvin) Gordon attempts to prove he can contribute in the passing game, Ajayi brings no major red flags to the next level. His game screams NFL readiness, with dancer's feet, ideal size (6'0, 221 lbs) and certified three-down abilities.

Need a one-stop solution at running back? Ajayi is your guy.

"

This isn't to say that there aren't any red flags with Ajayi. Ajayi was prone to move laterally too much at Boise State, sliding down the line of scrimmage in search of a hole. In about 600 career carries with the Broncos, Ajayi fumbled 11 times. There was an ACL tear and shoplifting arrest back in 2011.

Those concerns motivated Matt Waldman of Football Outsiders to suggest that while Ajayi certainly has the tools to be an every-down contributor in the NFL, it might be best if NFL teams don't ask that of him right away:

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The best fit for Ajayi would be a team that has two or three veteran backs. One of these runners would ideally be a successful starter who is on the downside of his career and understands that he might be the man this year, but his other job is to actively share his knowledge with the rookie.

The worst fit for Ajayi would be a team that envisions him as the immediate feature back, plugs him into the starting lineup from Day 1, and then punishes Ajayi with a benching when he leaves yards on the field between flashes of feature back promise. ...

Fans whose team drafts Ajayi should have reason for optimism, but patience -- from everyone involved -- is recommended.

"

Ajayi had an opportunity to allay some of those concerns at February's NFL Scouting Combine, and by all indications, he didn't disappoint.

Drill	Result	Ranking*
Bench press	19 reps	15th
40-yard dash	4.57 seconds	9th
20-yard shuttle	4.1 seconds	3rd
60-yard shuttle	11.1 seconds	2nd
Vertical jump	39 inches	5th
Broad Jump	121 inches	5th

Granted, Ajayi wasn't the top performer in any single drill in Indianapolis. However, he did place among the top five running backs in several different drills, including excellent showings in both the 20-yard and 60-yard shuttles.

According to Jay Tust of KTVB-TV, Ajayi was also a hit in interviews, where he compared his game to, well—Marshawn Lynch.

"The tenacity that Marshawn Lynch runs with is something that I try to put in my game. Just fight for every yard after contact," said Ajayi.

Now, it's entirely possible that Ajayi will choose to stand on those numbers from Indy. A slightly faster 40 time on a familiar track isn't going to hurt Ajayi's stock, but unless that number is a 4.15 or some insanity (or Gurley's knee doesn't check out medically leading up the draft), the odds of Ajayi surpassing the Georgia star probably aren't especially good.

Still, after Gurley it's anyone's ball game, and when backs are this tightly packed, every "ooh" in a position drill, every answer to a question that leaves a scout nodding as opposed to shaking their head could be the thing that breaks a mental tie.

And that leaves Jay Ajayi with one last chance to become the latest example of a recent truism in the NFL.

The first running back drafted and the best running back drafted aren't necessarily the same thing.

Gary Davenport is an NFL Analyst at Bleacher Report and a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association and the Pro Football Writers of America. You can follow Gary on Twitter at @IDPManor.