The Wright Time to Move Forward
Rams exploring every offensive possibility for sophomore playmaker
Mike Brohard
The coverage was tight.
Rashad Ajayi didn’t get baked by the initial move, nor the biting cut which followed from Dante Wright. The sideline was approaching, basically serving as an additional defender. The pass was precise, but it was also in a place where not only Wright could get to it, but Ajayi would have a chance.
But once Wright reached out and snared the pass, there was no way it coming free. He also had the spatial awareness as he stretched to drag his feet – both of them, actually – as Ajayi attacked the ball and they tumbled out of bounds as one.
Completion. Move the chains.
These are the plays Wright’s Colorado State teammates are used to seeing him make. These are the skills offensive coordinator Joey Lynch had only seen on tape, but now he’s getting to see them live. In Wright, he inherited a player who was a 2019 Football Writers Association of American Freshman All-American, the first for the school since Cory James in 2012.
Being able to make the tough catch in high school doesn’t always translate to the next level, at least not right away. For starters, if you’re as fast as Wright – 4.3 speed in the 40-yard dash – the prep coverage isn’t always there. Wright has never had that issue, which goes to alert people immediately to his makeup.
“That’s something everyone is happy they can translate. I’m glad it did for me,” Wright said after Monday’ workout. “You just have to have a dog mentality, I’m going to beat the guy in front of me. Each opponent I have, I’m going to beat the guy in front of me, and that’s just something I have.”
I think enjoy what you have, then go right back at it. You don’t take a day off. Really, it’s building off of it and not enjoying it too much. We didn’t win. That’s the ultimate goal. I’m not satisfied with that at all. Four wins is not enough.Dante Wright, Receiver
ESPN named him a true freshman All-American after he recorded 57 receptions for 805 yards and four touchdowns. When the Rams handed him the ball 17 times, he gained an additional 214 yards with two more trips to the end zone. When he came in at 5-foot-10, 165 pounds, it was a little more than most people expected.
As quiet as Wright is, he was still confident. Throughout the season, the team couldn’t find a moment which was too big from him, starting with his 150 all-purpose yards against Colorado in his first collegiate game. He started that day and announced himself with a 39-yard scoring catch and a 41-yard scoring run.
He hit two explosive scoring plays – one receiving, one rushing – the following week. Lynch saw it all on tape after being hired by head coach Steve Addazio as the Rams’ offensive coordinator, but he wanted to see it live as much as possible. However, Wright was dinged up this spring, delaying the in-person realization.
But really, all it takes is a couple of looks to become a believer.
“He competes for the football. He’s got great ball skills, he can track the ball and he has strong hands,” Lynch said. “I don’t care if you’re inside or outside, that’s a pretty good combination to make the plays that come to you. That’s what he’s been able to do for us so far.”
Pigeon-hole Wright if you will because of his height. Go ahead and tag him as a slot receiver if you want, because a stereotype will dictate him to be one.
Lynch will not. Wright will not allow it. He has already put 15 additional pounds on his frame, making him stronger without losing any of his speed. Any offensive coordinator will look at the talent base and expand the window, not pull the curtains.
The nature of offensive football is to steal what works. Lynch watched what Colorado State did with Wright last year and marked it down. He looked at the playbook he brought with him from Ball State and inserted Wright into the equation. He talked to the Boston College connection on the team to see what they had in their systems to highlight Wright.
And when all of that was done, he watched more football from around the country to see how other teams use their playmakers. Players like Wright increase the workload of coaches because of what they can do.
Offenses exploit those talents, as it also adds to the workload of opposing defensive coordinators. They’ll keep an eye on them, but put Wright in the slot, and there are options. Put him outside, even more.
“The speed-sweep game is big,” CSU quarterback Patrick O’Brien said. “I mean, there were a lot of times last year we threw go-routes, throw it out there and let him run under it, or a post or all those deep balls. You can give him the ball underneath, the screens – the whole thing is just give your playmakers the ball in space, and he’s one of our playmakers. He makes plays, so we just have to continue to do that and feed him.”
Wright has done his part. It started in the weight room, but he also knew he could improve his cuts and how he ran his routes. Lynch will tell you Wright is smart, but the player wants to know more.
Being an All-American is great, but for Wright, it’s not enough.
“You enjoy the victories, and you enjoy the little things you did, the accomplishments, but at the same time, you want to get better,” Wright said. “You don’t want to have just one good season, you want to build off of that. You want to show them you can do more.
“I think enjoy what you have, then go right back at it. You don’t take a day off. Really, it’s building off of it and not enjoying it too much. We didn’t win. That’s the ultimate goal. I’m not satisfied with that at all. Four wins is not enough.”
O’Brien is well aware of the difference maker Wright was last year. The Rams will need it all again this year, but they also expect more. It’s the natural progression.
In fact, they believe they’ve just started to scratch the surface in ways they can use Wright, but more importantly, Wright continues to expand on what he can do, fitting naturally into a growing role.
“He’s already a really good player as he is, but I think he can take that next step and be that 1,000-yard receiver like Warren Jackson did last year,” O’Brien said. “I think he’s got the potential to do it. If he keeps building the success he had last year, the sky is the limit.
“His ceiling is NFL potential. You put a little size on him, but his speed and his route running, as a small guy, he’s able to jump up and make jump-ball plays and catches. His potential is great, and he’s only a sophomore. If he can keep building on that, I think he’s ready to go.”
His catch Monday was just another example. Right now, Lynch is just enjoying the privilege of seeing it play out in person and no longer on film. It moves his mind to be more creative, because Wright isn’t just showing the player he was, but the weapon he can become on game day.
“There’s all the stuff from a talent standpoint and the ability to run, but it’s the intangibles that really make players special,” Lynch said. “He has those, and he’ll keep getting better. He’s gotten better every day since we’ve been with him, and I see that continuing throughout his career.”
What Wright didn’t see coming last year was due to what he didn’t know about the college game. Now he does. He knows the speed of the game, the strength of the players. He knows what he’s good at, and what he’s doing better. He saw where he could get better and attacked the process.
Being a Freshman All-American was great, no doubt. But he’s no longer a freshman. Wright will be the first one to tell you it is time to move on. To be precise, move forward.