While there were few knocks on the draft profile of Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor, among them was his seemingly lack of production as a pass-catcher during his time at Wisconsin.
For players to be considered true three-down backs in the NFL—a role that is beginning to fade away—they must show the ability to catch passes out of the backfield. Taylor rushed for over 6,000 yards in three seasons during his collegiate career, but there were still some questions about his role as a receiver.
Colts’ director of pro personnel Kevin Rogers initially agreed with the concerns of Taylor as a pass-catcher until he saw the rookie work at the NFL Combine.
“I think as the process went on, you saw him at the Combine, catch the ball, run routes, then you saw him at his pro day before the coronavirus stuff went into effect,” Rogers told Colts.com. “They were able to get the pro day in, and his pro day running routes and catching the football was outstanding. So I don’t think that’s going to be a question at all with him moving forward.”
How much of a role as a pass-catcher Taylor will see will be a big question over the next month or so. While the Colts believe he has the skill set, the other players in the room are likely to limit his work in the receiving game.
Splitting early-down work with Marlon Mack will keep Taylor from being a true three-down back while Nyheim Hines will reprise his role as the main pass-catcher out of the backfield.
So while the Colts front office and coaching staff sees Taylor having the talent as a receiver, he may not hold a large role in that area to begin his career.
But after seeing Taylor run through drills and given the context of his seasons at Wisconsin, Rogers came around on the rookie and his potential in the passing game.
“I probably dinged him on that a little bit more than I should have initially, but really the third down stuff with him and the lack of catches was just, I mean, that was just when they were resting him. I mean, the guy was a bell cow for three years,” said Rogers.
It will be interesting to see how the rotation in the backfield works, but Taylor should be heavily involved from the start and it wouldn’t be a surprise if he adds more passing game work as the season progresses.