The Philadelphia Eagles have several pressing needs and one under the radar position that needs to be addressed surrounds the running back personnel.
The Birds currently have just Miles Sanders and Boston Scott on the roster, but according to NFL.com, one of college football’s most successful running back’s ever could be the remedy.
NFL Network Analytics Expert Cynthia Frelundwork used numbers and win share rates to determine the best organizational fit for the five-highest rated running backs.
In what could be a dream scenario if it happened, former Wisoncon Badgers All-American running back Jonathan Taylor finds his best fit with Carson Wentz and the Eagles.
4. Jonathan Taylor + Philadelphia Eagles = +0.40 wins
My favorite model observation from Jonathan Taylor’s college resume is his consistent speed after contact. The way I measure this is by tracking how fast a player is traveling prior to contact, and then how fast they’re going after contact. While not all contact is created equally, and I can’t measure the force of these shots, I can tell you that if a running back (in power five schools) took a hit, but wasn’t stopped, their speed was reduced an average of 54-68 percent (within a five-yard gain of the line of scrimmage, range reflects different schemes and where they were rushing) last season for their next three yards. Not Taylor. His speed dropped just 42-49 percent. Paired with Miles Sanders, this combination forecasts to help drive down the Eagles’ 31 fumbles (tied most) from last season.
Taylor, a South Jersey native, is rated among the top draft-eligible running backs with D’Andre Swift, JK Dobbins, and Cam Akers.
Taylor would offer the perfect complement to Sanders and he wouldn’t necessarily be considered the thunder of the duo after he ran the fastest 40-yard dash among the combine’s running backs at 4.39 seconds.
The bruising running back posted that time after weighing-in at 5-foot-10, 226 pounds, making Taylor just the second running back since 2014 to weigh in at 225 pounds and run sub-4.45 seconds in the 40, according to Warren Sharp.
Only RBs to weigh 225+ and hit a combine 40 under 4.45 since 2014:
Jonathan Taylor – 4.41 (2020)
Saquon Barkley – 4.40 (2018)
pic.twitter.com/FilbShYYcy— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) February 29, 2020
During his three seasons at Wisconsin, Taylor rushed for 6,174 yards and 50 touchdowns.
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