2007 NFL Draft Player Reviews – RB Dwayne Wright
Last season, Dwayne Wright was returning from a serious knee injury suffered during the second game of the 2004 season, and he showed NFL scouts that he is back and 110% healthy. Wright rushed for 1,462 yards and 11 TDs. His biggest game last season was against Louisiana Tech when he rushed for 295 yards and a TD. Other notable performances this season included a game of 158 yards, 3 TDs against Nevada, 154 yards and 1 TD against Oregon, 136 yards and 2 TDs against Washington, and 121 yards and 2 TDs against New Mexico St. In his last game at Fresno St. Dwayne rushed for 106 yards and 2 TDs against San Jose St. Dwayne caught 51 passes for 429 and 2 TDs during his race on Fresno St as well, showing general running skills.
He got off to a great start in 2004 before his year at Kansas St. Wright ended. He went through a rigorous two-year rehab to get back to 100 percent for the 2006 season, and he had a season! Dwayne is a tough running back who has good breakaway speed once he gets through the defensive line and has good hands in the backfield. Wright earned the starting job during the 2003 season and had a breakout year. Dwayne spent a lot of time in the weight room adding weight and strength in 2005 and spent the year working on injury rehab. Wright played in two games in 2004, starting both, before tearing his left patella tendon when he was tackled at the end of a 61-yard pass play in the fourth quarter of the Kansas State game… he missed the rest of the year as a result. He began the season with a 109-yard effort in a win over Washington and had 74 yards in the KSU contest before injuring himself.
In 2003, he received an All-WAC honorable mention after transferring from junior college after playing in all 14 games, starting eight. Wright became the 12th player in program history to gain over 1,000 rushing yards and supplanted record-holding running back Rodney Davis midway through the season. Wright had consecutive 100-yard games against Louisiana Tech and Portland State. Dwayne initially made waves with a TD run against Oklahoma, in a game in which he came out of the backfield to record 19 receptions for 143 yards and a score. That year he finished fourth in the WAC in rushing yards. Dwayne had his best game of the year against Louisiana Tech when he rushed for 177 yards and a touchdown. He missed a 100-yard game against UTEP (97 yards), Rice (96) and Nevada (91).
Wright initially committed to Washington St. but when Mike Price left to become Alabama’s head coach, he decided to attend West Hills Junior College where he led his team to the Silicon Valley Bowl against Foothills College. Wright and the team finished third in the Valley Conference. He was named to the All-Central Valley Conference team. Dwayne played in eight games and rushed for 1,068 yards and scored 11 touchdowns and averaged 6.5 yards per carry. He was named the team’s Most Valuable Offensive Player. Wright was one of the best running backs to come out of high school on the West Coast and was named Lincoln High School’s San Diego Union Tribune Offensive Player of the Year in 2000.
Dwayne was born on June 2, 1983 to parents Gwen and Wil Washington and has two brothers, Kenrick and Andre, and a sister, Ashley. Dwayne married Jewelyn Wright and the couple have two children: a daughter, Jewelyn, and a son, Demarion.
Wright is a day 1 pick, hands down. He is better suited to a zone blocking scheme and is made for the NFL. I think the knee injury was a blessing in disguise for Dwayne, it allowed him to add much-needed weight and strength to his body and he kept the same type of back. When he first came to Fresno St., he had a build similar to Eric Dickerson (tall and lean), but with the added weight, he now has an NFL-ready build.
It may not have the speed of 4.3, but its combination of speed and power is impressive. Wright’s hands are also really good, making him a good choice for a team running the West Coast offense, or a version of it.