It's always questionable when a draft prospect is compared to a perennial Pro Bowl player that has helped one of the leagues' strongest teams annually vie for the league title despite having yet played a down in the NFL, but when watching former Boise State running back Jay Ajayi operate, it's not hard to see why the name Marshawn Lynch is repeatedly brought up.
Thus, it's also not hard to understand why a number of teams, including the San Francisco 49ers, Minnesota Vikings and San Diego Chargers have been paying particularly close attention to Ajayi throughout the pre-draft process.
The Niners and Vikings, per a report from Tony Pauline of Draft Insider, held private workouts with Ajayi on Wednesday.
The Chargers, and specifically, their running backs coach, Ollie Wilson, were among a large contingent of NFL teams at the Boise State pro day, per ESPN. Wilson put Ajayi through some of the drills during his workout, then Chargers representatives had dinner with the explosive running back later that night, according to Pauline.
"While the comparison to Marshawn Lynch might be a little much considering Lynch's exploits in the NFL, Ajayi's running style and body type are very similar to Lynch's and Ajayi features an improving stiff arm and physicality that has become Lynch's calling card," reads NFL.com's Lance Zierlein's draft profile. "Ajayi has the ability to play all three downs while mashing in short yardage and near the goal line. Scouts have been quietly circling Ajayi as a second-tier running back who offers tremendous value on the second day (Rounds 2-3) of the draft."
The 5-foot-11, 221-pound Ajayi is viewed by many as a future workhorse back at the NFL level.
As an AFC scout who specializes in grading running backs told Zierlein; "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."
For the Chargers, he could presumably fill the hole left by the departure of the disappointing Ryan Mathews, who defected to the Philadelphia Eagles in free agency.
The Niners have a massive vacancy now that potential future Hall of Famer Frank Gore is in Indianapolis and the Vikings could suddenly have a big need in the backfield depending on the outcome of the Adrian Peterson situation.
