Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor and kicker Rodrigo Blankenship were named to the NFL.com’s “All-Under-25” team by Nick Shook.
Taylor had a sensational rookie season thanks to a big second half in which he dominated. From Weeks 12–17, only Derrick Henry (948) had more rushing yards than Taylor (651) during that stretch. And only Henry (8) and Alvin Kamara (8) had more rushing touchdowns than Taylor (7) in that span.
“Taylor’s explosive second half of last season earned him a spot here. He beat out the likes of Saquon Barkley because, well, Taylor was available to play last year while Barkley missed all but two games due to injury. Taylor led rookies in rushing yards with 1,169 and finished third in the entire league in the category, doing so while seeing the second-most touches among all rookies (268). He also became one of just 25 rookies in NFL history to rush for 1,100-plus rushing yards and score 10 or more rushing touchdowns. Do you know who else is in that group? Barry Sanders, Earl Campbell and Adrian Peterson. It was a heck of a start for the next star running back in Indianapolis.”
Blankenship had a solid rookie season but will have to compete with Eddy Pineiro to keep his spot on the roster. Even so, his rookie campaign earned him a spot on this list.
“Blankenship ranked fifth in the league in field goals made with 32 in 2020. He was perfect from chip shot range (10 of 10 from 20-29 yards), nearly perfect from 30-39 yards (12 of 13) and posted a long of 53 yards. The group of young kickers isn’t exactly a packed one, and Blankenship rose to the top as a rookie.”
Blankenship was accurate enough, but he has to improve his deep kicking. If he can do that, the former Georgia Bulldog should be able to hold onto his role as the kicker.