Papelbon's Poutine said:
MJD just turned 29 yesterday. Taylor was 33 when the Pats signed him. And MJD is only 2 years older than Blount. Say what you will about his performance last year, but his age is not an issue and he is not Fred Taylor other than that he played for jax last year.
I think MJD still has something left in the tank, especially since he'd likely share time with Ridley and Vereen rather than be the full-time feature back - at the very least, he'd get a lot more rest than he got in Jacksonville.
But Blount has unusually little tread on the tires for his age. He basically redshirted his last year at Oregon due to suspension, and he barely played his last year in Tampa. He split carries in 2011 and 2013, and he doesn't touch the ball in the passing game. So Blount only has 602 touches in his four-year career, while Jones-Drew has 1096 over the same four years, even with missing much of 2012 due to injury. For his whole pro career he's got 2139 touches, about 3.5 times what Blount has.
I love the idea of getting a back like Jones-Drew (or Moreno) that keeps the D honest as to run vs pass, but I think Blount is a better health / durability bet than either of those guys. I'm not sure any of the three precludes grabbing another back in the upcoming draft (maybe with the shiny new 4th-round compensation pick).