The Indianapolis Colts may have spent up on a talented running back in the 2020 NFL Draft, but they will still be leaning on Marlon Mack to continue his work as an efficient rusher.
Despite the inevitable shared workload on early downs with rookie Jonathan Taylor, there are some who still believe Mack will be featured in a significant role.
Rick Suter of Touchdown Wire predicted Mack would be one of the top-10 running backs in rushing yards during the 2020 season.
It’s probably a good time to note that zero rookie running backs are on this list. But the closest one would be Colts’ Jonathan Taylor, who should expect to see a decent amount of carries in OC Nick Sirianni’s system. Marlon Mack—and call it a hunch—will be the part of the two-person rushing attack who ends with the most yards, though. While most of the spotlight focused on the Colts’ 2019 quarterback woes, Mack quietly put together a solid year. Behind the Colts’ highly rated offensive line and with new quarterback Philip Rivers under center in 2020, the expectation of improving isn’t crazy, either.
While it wouldn’t be completely out of left field for Mack to be a part of this group, it is more likely that the workload he will have to share with Taylor will keep him from doing so.
Since 2011, running backs selected in the second round of the draft have seen an average of 125.9 carries during their rookie season. Given how much the Colts like Taylor and given how his ability could force him to warrant more work, he’s likely to surpass that.
Mack has been very efficient over the last two seasons so if he’s afforded the opportunity, there’s a chance. However, the more likely scenario is that Mack and Taylor will split a relatively equal workload in 2020, keeping the former out of the top-10 rushers.