Even though it wasn’t a need entering the 2020 NFL draft, the Indianapolis Colts traded up to add an explosive running back prospect in Jonathan Taylor out of Wisconsin. Now, Indy envisions a formidable 1-2 punch with Marlon Mack at the top of the room.
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The Colts wanted to add more explosiveness to the offense during the draft and much to the chagrin of fantasy football managers, they felt the best way to do that was by taking arguably the best back in the draft.
With Taylor and Mack leading the room, head coach Frank Reich is excited to get the most out of his starting duo.
“But now with Jonathan (Taylor) into the mix, I really envision that it’ll be Jonathan and Marlon really being that one-two punch,” Reich told reporters after the draft. “When you look at good teams over the years – it’s a long season. It’s a grind and when you run the ball as much as we run it, it’s really good to be able to change that up. I think their styles will really complement each other very well.”
The Colts didn’t have a major need to add to the backfield. Mack is coming off of a 2019 campaign in which he set career-highs in carries (247) and rushing yards (1,091) while adding eight touchdowns on the ground.
Considering he’s a free agent after the 2020 season and there don’t appear to be any extension talks going on right now, it may suggest the Colts are ready to move on when his current deal expires.
Taylor’s blend of size, speed and power are all coveted at the running back position. He has concerns with ball security and his 926 career carries in college aren’t encouraging when looking at his potential longevity. But the fit with the Colts difficult to miss.
Reich touched on how the two backs fit within the offense and blocking schemes up front.
“Marlon has that great vision, he can run that outside zone well, he can surge, surge, surge and then he can accelerate in the whole,” Reich said. “Then you have a guy like Jonathan. He has the size and speed to be able to have good vision and when he hits it – the nice thing about Jonathan is as Chris (Ballard) and I and the staff sat down, how do we add explosiveness to this offense? Jonathan Taylor is an explosive player. That size and 4.3 speed – we want to turn those 10-yard gains into 50 and 60-yard gains. Now both he and Marlon can add that element to our offense.”
It will be interesting to see how the Colts divide the touches in the backfield, but it is most certainly going to be a committee with Mack and Taylor providing a ridiculously formidable 1-2 punch in the run game.
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