The Indianapolis Colts made a luxury pick in the second round of the 2020 NFL draft by trading up three spots in order to grab former Wisconsin running back Jonathan Taylor.
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While it wasn’t completely necessary, the Colts were enamored by Taylor’s fit in the offense. His blend of size, speed and explosiveness working behind the Colts offensive line was too good to pass up.
Sharing the backfield with Marlon Mack is likely in the cards for Taylor’s rookie season as both complement each other very well with their respective running styles.
When looking at the film for Taylor, it is hard to not get excited about his prospects working in the Colts offense.
While the size (5’10, 226) and speed (4.39) are very intriguing, Taylor is a very complete running back. He was certainly worthy of first-round consideration. Take this clip below for instance.
Having size and speed is great, but having sound vision is key. The Badgers run a split zone here with the tight end blocking against the flow of the offensive line to pick up defensive end Chase Young. Taylor has options here and given the traffic he sees, opts to take the cutback lane for a solid gain.
There’s also the homerun speed that Taylor has. Not many backs at 226 pounds can run away from a defensive back. But once Taylor hits the hole, he’s gone. What’s interesting about this play below is that it is one Colts fans should get used to seeing. The Colts love using the counter trey concept, which is exactly what the Badgers run here, pulling the center and backside tackle to pick up the linebackers at the second level.
The Colts aren’t strictly a power-blocking or zone-blocking offense. They utilize both. Taylor is scheme versatile, but it is obvious he will find most success working in zone-based concepts. Another example below shows how Taylor can quickly decide whether he needs to bang, bend or bounce while also continuing to show his ability to pick up yards after contact.
This run below is beautiful. Working on the outside zone, Taylor hits the hole and even though it’s closing quickly, he keeps his feet moving through traffic. He keeps grinding through the arm tackles and continues to gain yards after contact.
Mack will see his share of work, but this is something we don’t see too often from him. Taylor’s ability to sift through garbage and traffic while keeping his feet active and working through contact to gain an extra five-to-eight yards with defenders draped all over him is eventually going to give him the starting role.
One of the biggest knocks on Taylor are his abilities as a pass-catcher. Some of it is true. He’s not a diverse route runner and he won’t be a running back the Colts can truly use as a difference-maker in the passing game. He doesn’t have a diverse route tree as he was used mostly on screens and flat routes.
With all that said, Taylor might need a little more credit as a pass-catcher. He’s still a work-in-progress, but he can handle the role just fine. Catching 26 passes during his junior year shows he can be used in the passing game.
One aspect of Taylor’s game that I love is his active feet. He’s able to keep his balance through contact while keeping his feet moving. He shows the ability to make subtle cuts to weave through traffic with great body control.
It’s extremely had to bring him down. Being at his size and speed while having excellent footwork and the type of body control he has, it allows him to work through contact with ease once he hits the hole and gets to the second and third levels of the defense.
Taylor might not have the greatest acceleration in the world, but his quick feet allow him to make up ground quickly. Even when he has to stop dead in his tracks, Taylor has strong enough vision and quick enough feet to find sift through the garbage and still come out with a strong gain.
Conclusion
This was a luxury pick for the Colts. They didn’t need to add Taylor to the backfield, but his presence will make the offense so much better. His size and speed are obvious plus-traits, but Taylor brings excellent body control, sound footwork and strong vision to the backfield. His traits are just not seen every day in running backs.
He will have to split time with Mack during his first season, but Taylor is going to be so much fun to watch behind the elite offensive line for the Colts.