The Indianapolis Colts traded up in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft in order to secure their pick of running back Jonathan Taylor, who brings an exciting and explosive element to the offense.
While the consensus early on is that Taylor will aid the Colts’ rushing attack in being one of the more explosive units in the NFL, there is still an adjustment period for the rookie to go through.
Colts offensive coordinator Nick Sirianni detailed some of those adjustments and how the rest of the backfield can help Taylor prepare for his first NFL season.
“I think obviously this month is going to be important obviously for everybody – for Jonathan (Taylor), hugely important right, because you get used to the speed of the NFL game at practice. Two, for everything we are asking him to do protection wise, catching the ball wise, running routes, the different reads that he might have as far as running the ball on run plays,” Sirianni told reporters last week. “So, there is a big adjustment that he has to make.”
Even though Taylor should be competing for a large share of touches on early downs, he still has to share the backfield with Marlon Mack—the incumbent starter who is coming off of a season that included 1,091 rushing yards and eight touchdowns.
With so much to learn in such little time due to the restricted offseason, Sirianni expects the rest of the backfield to help the rookie learn the ropes of the league.
“We know he has the talent. Obviously, we drafted him because of how talented he was at Wisconsin. Now, he has to go out and prove it and he’s got a great room of running backs with him that are going to help him develop,” said Sirianni. “Marlon (Mack) is going to help him develop because Marlon is a great person and a great teammate that is going to help him develop. Nyheim (Hines) is going to help him develop. Jordan (Wilkins) is going to help him develop. All of those guys are going to help him develop and then he has a great running back coach.”
Taylor is certainly in the position to succeed early on. He has a strong support system, a solid coaching staff and will be working behind arguably the best offensive line in football.
The adjustment period will be odd for Taylor because of his limited work this offseason amid the COVID-19 pandemic, but the Colts are expecting the rookie to have an immediate impact upon arrival.