While the NFL draft is an exciting time for young prospects fulfilling their dreams of hearing that cherished call, for players already in the league, it can mean competition for their job.
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The league is a business and teams will do what they can to better the roster. When it came to Round 2, the Indianapolis Colts felt it was best to trade up for running back Jonathan Taylor out of Wisconsin despite already having a running back in Marlon Mack who nearly hit 1,100 rushing yards in 2019.
Even considering all that, Taylor is in line to take a lot of work from Mack. As discouraging as that might be for the 23-year-old, Mack responded in the perfect way when Frank Reich texted him about the selection of Taylor.
Frank Reich texted Marlon Mack tonight after the Colts drafted a running back, Jonathan Taylor, in the 2nd round. Per Chris Ballard, Marlon's response was: "Let's go. Let's win."
— Zak Keefer (@zkeefer) April 25, 2020
It’s not easy for a player like Mack, who is entering a contract year, to see his team trade up for—let alone draft—arguably the best prospect at his position. But Mack handled the situation with class and should be a part of a formidable 1-2 punch in the backfield with Taylor.
It will be interesting to see how the Colts divvy up the touches in the backfield, but Mack seems supportive of the somewhat shocking move to draft Taylor.
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