Raheem Mostert comes around to Miami Dolphins drafting another fast running back
It was the most eye-opening moment of the Dolphins’ 2024 draft.
Not only did general manager Chris Grier swing a trade to get back into the fourth round, but once he did, he took Tennessee running back Jaylen Wright, adding another sprinter to a backfield that already had Raheem Mostert and the back Grier selected in the third round in 2023, De’Von Achane.
The Dolphins — and especially Grier — hadn’t exactly been beating down the door to draft running backs, at least not until last year. So it was natural to solicit a reaction from Mostert on Tuesday.
“Whatever,” he said. “I was just like, ‘Yeah, whatever it is, it is.’ You know, the same typical thing: draft drama.”
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It wasn’t anything personal toward Wright. It’s more a case of Mostert knowing his place on the team is secure, even as a 32-year-old running back. A month ago, the Dolphins gave him a two-year contract worth up to $9.075 million, with $3.7 million guaranteed.
Wright said he has been clocked at about 23.7 mph. Mostert is the only player to surpass 23 mph since Next Gen Stats began recording speeds in 2018. He was clocked at 23.09 in 2020. Officially, Wright was timed in the 40 at 4.38.
Mostert also doesn’t feel threatened because he’s coming off his most productive season in the NFL. He rushed for 1,012 yards and a league-leading 18 touchdowns in 2023. It’ll be up to coach Mike McDaniel and offensive coordinator Frank Smith to figure out how to make three backs of potential starting caliber happy, but Mostert is looking forward to what the group can do together.
“Now, I’m honestly excited,” Mostert said.
Mostert raised one tantalizing possibility.
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“Being able to have another guy coming in the mix and bring his attributes and his contributions into the offense — and the speed is definitely going to be very beneficial on our part," Mostert said. "Because now we can line up and we could use three backs, you know, out there at one point with a receiver and maybe a tight end as well. So, there's a lot of different things that you can do.”
Bottom line is that while Mostert’s initial reaction was on the blasé side, he’s coming around.
“The more the merrier,” he said. “That's what I would say."
Dolphins reporter Hal Habib can be reached at hhabib@pbpost.com. Follow him on social media @gunnerhal. Click here to subscribe.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Raheem Mostert comes around to Dolphins drafting another fast back
