20/20: Jonathan Taylor

Dwight Peebles

Welcome to the 20/20 series. As part of our continued Dynasty Scouts coverage and in preparation for the NFL Combine, we profile 20 of the top incoming rookies of the class of 2020 by giving you 20 facts you must know.

1.) Player Name – Jonathan Taylor

2.) College – Wisconsin

3.) Height/Weight – 5’11”, 219 pounds

4.) Birthdate – 1/19/1999 (21 years old)

5.) Class – Junior

6.) Recruiting Profile – He was a three-star recruit coming out of Salem, NJ, the 24th ranked running back in the 2017 class with a 0.8854 Composite Score per 247Sports. He received seven offers – Virginia Tech, Temple, Boston College, Army, Albany, Rutgers, and ultimately Wisconsin. Madison was the only city he visited, and he committed shortly after.

7.) Basic college stats – Taylor had the sixth-most rushing yards all-time in his career. The five higher totals all did it in four seasons, though. He had a phenomenal three-year run, finishing less than 1,000 yards away from the all-time record for most rushing yards in NCAA history.

This season, he addressed concerns about his ability to catch as well.

On an offense with a meager passing attack, defenses keyed on stopping him and he still managed an impressive 6.7 yards per carry over 926 career carries.

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Courtesy of sports-reference.com.

8.) NFL Draft round projection – Taylor could be drafted in the late first round if someone falls in love with the speed and production. A more conservative projection is the second round. He should be an early day two pick at the latest. Worst case, the top few backs could drive him down into the third round.

9.) Current NFL comparison – I am terrible at comparisons. I have seen him compared to Ezekiel Elliott, Nick Chubb, and even Arian Foster.

I see a lot of Lamar Miller in his game. Miller was blazing fast and did a lot of things well. He has been injury-prone, but when he on the field he’s a good running back. I believe Taylor is better and hopefully sees the field more consistently. He is one of the few running backs who could best the 4.40 40-yard time that Miller ran at the NFL Combine, as well.

10.) Best possible destination – If Derrick Henry leaves Tennessee, the Titans would be a sweet landing spot for the back nicknamed “JT23.” The Titans run a power-run scheme that would highlight his running style and get him to the second level where he has the ability to flip the switch and use his speed.

Atlanta and Tampa Bay are also often linked to the Wisconsin back, and both would be good fits.

Atlanta is built for a power game after six seasons with Devonta Freeman leading their rushing attack. He is gone and Ito Smith hasn’t looked great thus far. Taylor could slide right in, providing a faster, more dynamic back than Freeman has been.

The Buccaneers have been searching for a franchise back as well, and Taylor would fit well in their spread offense.

11.) Worst possible destination – A team that uses a zone-blocking scheme would not be ideal. Most teams employing the scheme have entrenched starters. It’s hard to envision a scenario in which he wouldn’t have any success at all, unless it’s a team that doesn’t give him an opportunity to be the lead three-down back.

Houston needs a running back, but Taylor may not be a good fit there unless the Texans were willing to switch to a power scheme.

Pittsburgh may be shopping for a back and I am not sure he is a good fit there either. They may be tempted and he may be able to adjust to their blocking scheme – a zone and power mix. The Steelers don’t really have the draft capital to focus on the former Badger, though, and should address other needs.

12.) Best current skill – The second gear he possesses is flat-out silly. He uses power to blast through tackles and has good contact balance. When he hits open field he has the ability to reach top speed quickly and pull away for long runs.

Power is his second-best skill. He’s a bigger back and tough to bring down. Speed plus power – it’s easy to see why he gained over 6,000 yards in three years.

13.) Skill that needs to be improved – The big knock on Taylor is fumbling, and it will hang over him the whole draft process. He put the ball on the ground 18 times in 41 games, although it was also over the span of over 900 carries. Poor ball security is a detriment many backs have had when reaching the NFL. Fortunately, it is an issue that can often be corrected through coaching.

14.) Past/current rookie ADP – The DLF Dynasty Rookie Rankings have him as the fourth player overall and the RB2, with a high ranking of second and a low ranking of seventh among our ranking team. At this point, he is typically the second or third player drafted in rookie mock drafts and should stay there unless he gets an unfavorable landing spot.

15.) Projected dynasty value – He could sneak up into the tail end of the second round in startups already. He has a strong long-term outlook, and even with the high amount of college usage he should be an RB1 for the next 4-5 seasons. There are still about ten running backs who should go before Taylor. This would slot him toward the end of the second or early third round in most startups.

16.) Metrics – The combine will likely not give us much of what we didn’t already know with him. He is going to blaze the 40-yard dash and likely post one of the highest numbers of bench repetitions. He has squatted 605 pounds in the past. Previously, he has broad-jumped 10’9” and leaped 38” in a vertical jump. The three-cone might not be one of his better events. He is agile but his lateral quickness is not a strength. He is more north-south and breaks tackles with power and slight shifts.

17.) Wear and tear – Over three seasons at Wisconsin, Taylor touched the ball 968 times in 41 games – 926 of those touches were carries. Those numbers average out to 23.6 touches per game. JK Dobbins had 796 touches over 42 games, Cam Akers tallied 655 touches in 36 games, and D’Andre Swift touched the ball 513 times over 43 games. Those three backs also had more receptions and less hammering the ball down the middle, as Taylor often does.

18.) Receiving ability – One of the biggest knocks before the season was his lack of pass-catching production. Melvin Gordon, another Wisconsin product, heard the same things after he left college for the NFL. He is now one of the better pass-catching backs in the NFL. It’s a facet of the game Wisconsin has not featured.

This season, Taylor caught 26 passes and looked good doing it. Getting him in space is something his new team needs to do. When he has space he can get downfield in a hurry for huge gains.

19.) Power – This young running back has power in spades – at the goal line he is nearly unstoppable. He reads the crease quickly and muscles his way in. He fights through tackles and is incredibly difficult for one defender to bring down. He has a low center of gravity and is built like a rock, then he converts to the speedster as soon as he has open field. It’s a rare combination and beautiful to watch when it hits right. Watching him muscle through a few tackles and start flying through open space is spectacular.

20.) Intelligence– A philosophy major, he enjoys talking about his favorite philosopher Immanuel Kant, and studies questions and how to ask them better. He breaks down his own tape to improve his play and communicates with his linemen to learn how he can more efficiently work with them. He is always reading and soaking up knowledge – well-spoken and articulate, as well.

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