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Wisconsin Running Back Jonathan Taylor Declares For The 2020 NFL Draft

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For the 2020 class to live up to the hefty expectations placed upon them by devy communities, it requires the necessary guys to declare. Fortunately for the owners who mortgaged their future for this class, those pieces are falling into place. This class contains a few running back prospects who have the potential to be RB1s and league winners for multiple years. One of these running backs is Wisconsin’s Jonathan Taylor. Taylor enters the pre-draft process as a tier-one RB and my RB2. 

High School

Jonathan Taylor grew up in Salem, New Jersey where he attended Salem High School—coincidentally the same high school that fellow Badger, Corey Clement, attended. In his senior season, Taylor set the all-time New Jersey rushing record with 2,815 yards. To go with this, he scored 37 total touchdowns (35 rushing and 2 receiving). 

Despite his phenomenal statistical output, Taylor was not too highly recruited. Per 24/7 Sports, Taylor had a composite score of 0.8854, making him a three-star recruit. Considering what he became, Taylor was severely under-ranked by being the 371st recruit nationally and 24th running back. After being recruited by Rutgers, Virginia Tech and Temple, Taylor ultimately decided to make Wisconsin his home for the next three years.

Taylor didn’t only shine on the football field, but also on the track. Taylor is a two-time New Jersey state champion in the 100m dash. 

Statistical analysis

 

As you can see, Taylor had one of the most impressive statistical rushing outputs in the history of college football. Taylor was not given the starting job; he worked his way up the depth chart to become co-starter. After an impressive first game, Taylor blew up in his second game. Playing against Utah State, Taylor rushed for 223 yards and 3 TDs. It only took him seven games to reach 1,000 yards, joining a list including Adrian Peterson, Emmitt Smith, and Marshall Faulk. Taylor broke the record by winning Big Ten Freshman of the Week eight times. In this special season, Taylor also broke the single-season rushing record for a freshman. After being named a finalist for the Doak Walker award, an award that recognizes the best running back in college football, he made the Big Ten All-American team and won the award for Big Ten Freshman of the Year. In his freshman season, Taylor proved every scout that passed on him wrong.

Coming into the season, Taylor made every pre-season watch list possible. After just missing out on 2,000 yards the year prior, Taylor exploded for 2,194 yards, averaging 7.1 yards per carry in the process. The accolades came pouring in for Taylor. After missing out on the award in 2017, Taylor won the Doak Walker award. He was also named a unanimous member of both the first-team All-American team and first-team All-Big Ten Team while also winning the Big Ten Running Back of the Year award. Two remarkable seasons had devy owners excited about his potential.

However, there were some concerns with him. The three big concerns were: workload, fumbling and lack of receiving ability. He had one more season to fix those issues to perfect his prospect profile.

Taylor’s 2019 season should erase all concerns about his receiving ability. Coming into the season with just 16 total catches, Taylor smashed his past production by posting a 26-252-5 receiving line. It wasn’t just empty production, he looked good doing it too.

Once again, Taylor raked in the accolades. Another Walker award win, another unanimous first-team All-American nod, another Big Ten Running Back of the Year title. Taylor broke Herschel Walker’s record for most rushing yards through a junior season. He also joined Troy Davis as the only FBS players to post multiple 2,000 rushing yard seasons. After three remarkable seasons, and 926 career carries, Jonathan Taylor announced his departure for the NFL. 

Film Analysis

This first play shows off Taylor’s newfound pass-catching abilities. Taylor easily beats his man with a quick wheel route out of the backfield. The pass is a little bit behind him. Without losing stride, he makes the adjustment, brings in the pass, then continues to make his way upfield. A defender first contacts Taylor at the 30-yard line. Taylor doesn’t get tackled until the 11-yard line. He showed some impressive power to drag one, then multiple defenders, for extra yardage. The most encouraging things to see in this play were his ability to adjust for the catch and the smooth transition from a receiver to a runner. That latter trait is important in becoming a weapon in the receiving game in the NFL. 

This second play from Taylor displays both his power and speed. Blessed by great run blocking, Taylor shoots through the opening hole. Showing off that power, Taylor easily runs through one tackler. Another defender tries their luck with him. Suffering the same fate as his teammate, Taylor easily broke away from that tackle. The rest of the way is easy as he simply must outrun everyone, an easy task for a two-time track state champion. Taylor’s blend of power and speed make him an elite prospect.

Jonathan Taylor sizes in at 5’11”, 219 pounds; take that into consideration when watching his movement in this next play. The USF defender gets some penetration into the backfield which forces Taylor to reprocess his path to open field. After some nifty footwork, Taylor slides through a small crease to his right. When he gets into the open field, he’s gone. Taylor’s mental processing and vision are elite in this example. He gets knocked off his “path” multiple times on this play, but he continues to find a new one to the end zone. This is some very impressive mental ability from Taylor. 

 

This last example from Taylor is simply ridiculous. Like most times he gets a carry, a wide hole opens for Taylor. This time, a defender reads it and meets him at the hole. With nowhere else to go, Taylor is forced to make his man miss in close quarters. What Taylor does to the defender should be illegal. He embarrasses him by juking him out of his shoes. Taylor then proceeds to pick up additional yards. This just one of Taylor’s wide range of skills that make him the most talented runner in this draft. 

 

Conclusion

Since his phenomenal freshman season, Jonathan Taylor has excited devy owners. Now that he has declared, dynasty owners should share that excitement. Despite his workload and fumbling concerns, Taylor has a variety of skills and traits that make him one of the best RB prospects in this class. I would smash the draft button on Taylor in the early first round of all rookie drafts. 

What are your thoughts on Jonathan Taylor? Where does he fall in your running back ranks? Let me know on Twitter at @DFF_Steven.

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