Tag: Colts

5 things to know about Colts new RB Jonathan Taylor

Here are some things to know about the Colts’ new RB.

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The Indianapolis Colts shocked the league and traded up to the No. 41 pick to take Wisconsin running back Jonathan Taylor. While this pick may have come as a surprise to many, Taylor is one of the best and most decorated players in this draft and obviously caught the eye of Chris Ballard.

Taylor may also be one of the most interesting players in the draft as well. Here are five things to know about about the Colts’ new running back in Taylor:

1. Many unique interests including astrophysics and yoga

When Jonathan Taylor was considering his options after high school, he toured Harvard and almost fed his love for astrophysics like his idol, Neil deGrasse Tyson. His parents even got him a telescope as a graduation present. He decided to go to Wisconsin who recruited him heavily out of Salem, New Jersey. He is also very focused on yoga and does a variety of stretches before practices and games.

2. One of the most decorated players in the draft

Taylor’s long list of accomplishments at Wisconsin include three-time All-American selection, three first-team All-Big Ten selections, two Big Ten Running Back of the Year selections and two Doak Walker Award wins as the best running back in the nation. He also finished fourth all-time in FBS rushing yards with 6,174.

3. Almost a Scarlet Knight

Jonathan Taylor is obviously very good at football, but he was a high school track phenom as well. In fact, he was recruited by Rutgers for football and track and actually committed to Rutgers before a Wisconsin scout attended a track meet in New Jersey to see him run. Shortly after, Taylor recommitted from Rutgers and officially committed to the Badgers.

4. Did not take long for Taylor to pop

When Taylor walked into Madison, WI in 2017, he was fifth on the depth chart to start training camp. That designation did not last long for Taylor however. He was quick to impress coaches and eventually found his way into the starting role. He almost cracked 2,000 yards in his freshman year and had 13 touchdowns.

5. Wise beyond his years

Taylor’s teammates and coaches have nothing but praise for the 21-year-old, high powered back who is wise beyond his years. As a philosophy major, he loves to ask questions and many have noted his curiosity about the world. “He’s a great player, but he is one unique guy off the field,” said Badgers star offensive guard Beau Benzschawel in 2017. “You talk to him, and it’s like you’re talking to a 30-year-old.”

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How WR Michael Pittman Jr. fits with the Colts

What does Michael Pittman Jr. bring to the Colts?

The Indianapolis Colts made their first selection of the 2020 NFL Draft and took wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. from USC.

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Pittman Jr. offers a unique combination of size and speed and will fit in well into Frank Reich’s offense as a guy who can really go up and get it.

At 6-foot-4 and 223 pounds, Pittman Jr. will be a matchup problem for many corners across the league and will give newly-acquired Colts quarterback Philip Rivers a reliable target.

Rivers had a pair of reliable targets in LA with Keenan Allen and Mike Williams. Both guys showed the ability to catch any ball thrown to them anywhere on the field and Pittman Jr. can be compared to both of those players. Another element he adds is a unique ability to catch balls in man coverage while his physicality and athleticism allow him to win downfield.

In fact, Pittman Jr. has the lowest drop percentage of any receiver in the draft at 2.7%. This will give the Colts a safety net as they try to rebrand their offense into a larger down-field threat. Pittman Jr. will add that element and more.

As far as the rest of the receiving corps, Pittman Jr. will fit in nicely with the speedy threats of T.Y. Hilton and Parris Campbell. Where the Colts love to utilize underneath routes, Pittman Jr. adds more routes to the playbook and can make plays happen after the catch. His versatility will be a nice addition to the room.

The coaching staff and Colts fans should be very excited about this selection, but nobody should be more excited than Rivers. He gets a dynamic receiver who can change an offense as the Colts are still building for the future in this draft.

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How does Jonathan Taylor impact the Colts RB room?

Taking a look at how Jonathan Taylor impacts the depth chart.

With the shocking trade up to pick No. 41 and the selection of running back Jonathan Taylor from Wisconsin, Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard has once again stuck to his philosophy of taking the best player available. Taylor is a dynamic playmaker, but his addition is somewhat puzzling.

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With an already crowded backfield of Marlon Mack, Nyheim Hines and Jordan Wilkins, to add another back seems like a luxury—not to mention trading up three spots to get him. Also, Mack came off a career year with 1,091 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns.

The Colts’ sudden success in the run game has mostly contributed to their dominant offensive line play up front, but Mack has played a huge part in that success as well. Taylor will no doubt have success in this system too.

Where Taylor differs from Mack is his experience and success entering the league. Taylor was a two-time first-team All-American at Wisconsin and finished fourth all-time in FBS rushing yards with 6,174 career yards.

This pick is nothing to be upset over, but it might be a sign that the Colts will not re-sign Mack as he heads into the last year of his contract. If that’s the case, this was a great pick for building into the future at the running back position.

Another guy who may be on the hot seat is Wilkins, who has filled in as the third back in this system. While Wilkins has been a solid player who has had some big plays, he has been used sparingly and will be a free agent after the 2021 season.

We don’t yet know how the Colts will implement these backs in the backfield but given the draft capital, talent and the fact that the Colts traded up for him, this selection is likely to send some waves in running back room.

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NFL Draft: The Indianapolis Colts select Wisconsin RB Jonathan Taylor with the No. 41 overall pick

Jonathan Taylor now has an NFL home as he heads to Indianapolis in the second round

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[lawrence-newsletter]One of Wisconsin’s greatest players now has an NFL home. Jonathan Taylor is now a member of the Indianapolis Colts. The Colts selected the Badger standout with the number 41 overall pick in the NFL draft. The Colts traded with Cleveland up to 41 in order to land their prized RB prospect.

After 6,174 rushing yards over his three-year Badger career, the two-time Doak Walker Award winner becomes the third running back drafted in the 2020 NFL draft. Taylor is the first Badger off the board this year.

Jonathan Taylor
In this still image from video provided by the NFL, Jonathan Taylor, second from left, talks on the phone and is selected by the Indianapolis Colts during the second round of the NFL football draft, Friday, April 24, 2020. (NFL via AP)

Despite any questions about his collegiate workload or ability as a pass protector, Taylor is one of the greatest pure runners that college football has ever seen. For three straight years, the New Jersey native averaged over six yards per carry. This past season, Taylor expanded his game and became a legit receiving threat while racking up 252 yards through the air and five touchdowns. The three-time All-American finished college football with the fourth most rushing yards in the history of FBS.

Taylor goes to an Indianapolis Colts team that features one of the strongest offensive lines in all of football. In 2019, Pro Football Focus ranked the group as the third-best offensive line in all of the NFL. This is an excellent spot to go for one of the best pure runners in the history of college football.

Badger fans are ready to see Taylor in a situation where he can immediately step into a major role. It would be hard to script a better place than Indianapolis for Taylor to showcase his skills at the next level.

NFL Draft: Which position will the Indianapolis Colts draft first?

Assessing 2020 NFL Draft odds centered around which position the Indianapolis Colts will draft first.

The Indianapolis Colts have been movers and shakers this offseason ahead of the 2020 NFL Draft. One of the major moves they made was trading the 13th overall pick to the San Francisco 49ers for DeForest Buckner, which makes their No. 34 overall selection on Day 2 their first pick of the draft. Let’s handicap BetMGM’s odds of which position the Colts will be drafting with their first pick:

2020 NFL Draft: Which position will the Colts draft first? Odds

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Odds last updated Friday, April 24 at 3:15 p.m. ET.

POSITION ODDS
Wide receiver +140
Defensive lineman +500
Quarterback +500
Safety +700
Running back +900
Offensive lineman +900
Cornerback +1000
Linebacker +1200
Tight End +2500
Kicker/punter/long snapper +15000

2020 NFL Draft: Which position will the Colts draft first? Best bets

Defensive lineman (+500)

Despite the Colts acquiring Buckner this offseason, the value of +500 for Indianapolis to draft a defensive lineman with their first draft pick is too enticing.

The addition of Buckner alone probably won’t lead to a major swing in defensive line performance. In 2019, they were 21st in QB pressure percentage, and, according to Football Outsiders, they were 15th in adjusted line yards and 21st in adjusted sack rate.

Also, defensive linemen didn’t get much love on the first night of the NFL draft, leaving a whole bunch on draft gurus’ best available lists. Only four were drafted in the first round and two of them are technically EDGE rushers that can be used as outside linebackers in 3-4 schemes.

DraftWire editor Luke Easterling’s best available players for Day 2 include defensive line prospects A.J. Epenesa, Yetur Gross-Matos and Ross Blacklock. These guys have first-round talent but are still available and should make it tough for the Colts to pass up on adding depth to a weak spot on their roster.

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Safety (+700)

No safety was drafted in the first round last night (the first time that’s happened since 2016, (even though Ha Ha Clinton-Dix has since been converted to a safety), leaving top-graded prospects Xavier McKinney and Grant Delpit available. But, why do the Colts really need a safety?

First, their pass defense was bad last year. The Colts allowed the 10th-most passing yards and ninth-most passing touchdowns while ranking 26th in opposing quarterbacks’ QB rating. They were second-to-last in opposing quarterbacks’ completion percentage.

Second, they addressed cornerback early in the 2019 NFL Draft by selecting Rock Ya-Sin 34th overall and by signing free agent Xavier Rhodes this offseason. Malik Hooker has been a starting safety for the Colts since they drafted him 15th overall in 2017 and has never lived up to his potential.

Hooker hasn’t played all 16 games in any of his first three seasons and was downright awful last season. Pro Football Focus graded him 37th out of 87 safeties. Furthermore, Hooker gave up the most yards per target in the NFL, 76% of targeted throws were completed against him and quarterbacks had a 123.7 QB rating when targeting Hooker.

Safety is a position the Colts should address, and with the best safety prospects still on the board, gimme +700 Indy will take a safety at No. 37.

Quarterback (+500)

The elephant in the Colts’ quarterback room is that neither Philip Rivers nor Jacoby Brissett is a long-term answer as the franchise quarterback. Rivers was inked to a one-year, $25 million deal this offseason and will turn 39 this season. Brissett signed a two-year deal last offseason after Andrew Luck‘s abrupt retirement and didn’t exactly wow people with his 2019 performance.

I love the value of this prop given the Colts’ circumstances, however, I only LEAN toward +500 Indy takes a quarterback first because there are too many good prospects at positions of need and the remaining quarterbacks—Jalen Hurts, Jacob Eason and Jake Fromm—should be available for the Colts’ next pick at No. 44 or in the following rounds.

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Bills trade up? Here’s which teams are reportedly open to moving back

According to NFL Network, those two teams are the Colts and the Dolphins, who select at No. 35 and No. 39.

The Buffalo Bills are finally scheduled to make a selection at the 2020 NFL Draft on Friday. Currently their pick is slated for the No. 54 overall slot.

But if Buffalo general manager Brandon Beane gets a bit antsy, could he swing a trade to move up the draft board? Moving back into the first round on Thursday seemed very unlike and that didn’t happen. In the second round, it’s much less far fetched.

Hours before the second round gets going, there’s already two teams that are considered open for business in regard to trading back from their high draft in Round 2. According to NFL Network, those two teams are the Colts and the Dolphins, who select at No. 35 and No. 39. Those are the second and seventh picks in the second round, respectively.

Could the Bills make a deal with either team?

Unfortunately both seem unlikely, but not impossible.

For reference, the combined draft value of the Bills’ second and third-round picks could get the Bills to the No. 38 pick, where the Panthers are selecting right before the Dolphins. With that in mind, in order to get up to the Colts pick at No. 34, it’d likely cost Buffalo their second, third and fourth rounders. It seems unlikely that Beane would want to do that, unless he adds a pick from a future draft.

In regard to the Dolphins, technically the Bills’ top-two picks could get them there, however, that’s a division rival. It’s worth noting the Bills did swing an AFC East trade in recent memory, sending offensive lineman Russell Bodine to the Patriots in August. But the stakes in that deal, one which saw the Bills land a sixth-round pick in return, were much smaller.

 

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