Rookie Report Card: Jonathan Taylor and Quintez Cephus
Each week throughout the season, I’ll cover at least two rookies in the Rookie Report Card and try to always include the biggest performers from that particular week. On top of reviewing my expectations for each player coming into the league and how well he’s lived up to those expectations at the NFL level to this point, I’ll grade the player in three categories. Those categories are performance to date, rookie season potential, and long-term upside.
As a die-hard Badgers fan, I’m thrilled to present an all Wisconsin edition of the Rookie Report Card, with a look at Jonathan Taylor and Quintez Cephus.
Jonathan Taylor, RB IND
Week 13 Stats: 13 carries, 91 rushing yards, three receptions, 44 receiving yards, one touchdown reception
The latest highly-regarded running back out of Wisconsin, Taylor entered the draft process as one of the most productive tailbacks in recent memory. Leaving campus with 6,174 rushing yards and 50 touchdowns on the ground, he profiled as a prototypical NFL running back with ideal size (5’-10”, 225 pounds) and incredible speed (4.39-second 40-yard dash).
Although some pointed to Taylor’s college workload (973 career college touches), 15 fumbles at Wisconsin, and having played behind an offensive line full of future pros as reasons to question his professional upside, it’s clear that his strengths far outweigh his weaknesses.
Known by most for his lightning-quick burst through running lanes and around the edge, the most impressive part of Taylor’s running style in my opinion is his ability to set up blocks on the second level. While accelerating at the line of scrimmage he shows an uncanny knack to hesitate just enough to allow a kick-out block by a pulling offensive lineman or fullback. Cutting sharply off the block, he’s immediately back to full speed and to the third level in a blink.
Taylor also displays great balance when taking on contact. With a low center of gravity, he bounces off tackles, dragging them for extra yardage. And around the end zone, Taylor has a nose for the goal line, knowing exactly when to twist his body and lunge forward for the extra yard necessary to score.
Perhaps the most underrated part of Taylor’s game going into draft season were his skills as a pass-catcher. Despite catching 26 passes for 252 yards and five touchdowns in his final season in Madison, many doubted whether he could be a true three-down tailback at the next level but that’s simply not true. In his time in college, he improved dramatically as a route runner, going from a last resort check-down option early in his career to running option routes and setting up linebackers and safeties with head and shoulder fakes before breaking the opposite way for a big catch and run.
When Taylor was drafted early in the second round as the third tailback off the board to the Colts, many dynasty owners were thrilled he’d have the opportunity to run behind one of the top offensive lines in the league. A clear top-three pick in dynasty rookie drafts, the expectation was he’d immediately play a featured role in Indianapolis, but that hasn’t exactly been the case.
Even with Marlon Mack’s season-ending injury in week one, Taylor has continued to get an inconsistent workload with Nyheim Hines and Jordan Wilkins getting mixed in. Despite that though, he’s led the team in opportunities (carries plus targets) in eight of the 11 games he’s played, running for 609 yards and four touchdowns while catching 29 of 30 targets for 271 yards and another score.
To this point, despite a couple of lowlight videos that have gone viral on Twitter featuring him running into the back of a blocker and missing a wide running lane, Taylor has had a solid start to his career and appears to be hitting his stride at just the right time. Although he missed the Colts’ week 12 game due to COVID-19, he sandwiched that with two of his best outings, turning 35 carries and seven catches into 249 yards and a touchdown in his last two contests.
While he hasn’t had the RB1 season many projected when Mack went down, Taylor is the RB16 (give or take depending on scoring system) with a game missed. In week 13 against the Texans after a slow start, he was used as the Colts’ closer –running nine times for 46 yards in the fourth quarter – although his biggest play came in the passing game earlier on a busted coverage that went for a 39-yard touchdown.
All things told, Taylor has been solid as a rookie but the best is yet to come. Averaging 4.1 yards per carry, which is better than Hines (3.3) and Wilkins (3.7), he’s clearly the best running back in Indy and simply needs the chance to consistently get 20-plus touches to become the RB1 dynasty managers expected when they took him in the top-three in rookie drafts over the summer.
Though many dynasty managers have soured on Taylor, he’s slowly showing the RB1 potential he entered the league with so we should all remain patient. Those looking for a tailback with top-five upside ought to spend the off-season trying to pry him away from anybody that remains leery.
On the verge of becoming a first-round startup pick, the window to acquire Taylor is closing more and more every time he touches the ball.
Quintez Cephus, WR DET
Week 13 Stats: Two receptions, 63 yards, one touchdown (four targets)
One of my favorite Badgers receivers ever, Cephus made a name for himself in Madison as a big-bodied (6’-1”, 200 pounds) outside receiver who wasn’t afraid to get physical at the catch point and make difficult catches in a crowd.
Although he missed the entire 2018 season, he returned to Wisconsin in 2019 to lead the team in receptions (59), receiving yards (901), and touchdown catches (seven). The clear WR1 for the Badgers, he was asked to be both their possession receiver and their deep threat – excelling at both – even against the best competition. Catching 19 passes for 295 yards and two touchdowns in the team’s three biggest games to finish the year against Minnesota, Ohio State and Oregon, he routinely made clutch catches.
Despite a lack of speed (4.73-second 40-yard dash) and burst at the snap and on the top of his routes, Cephus makes up for it with great competitiveness at the catch point, using his large frame to “box out” defenders and his excellent hands to catch everything that comes his way. Difficult to bring down after the catch, he displays the ability to turn short to intermediate throws into bigger plays.
Although he slid to the end of the fifth round in the draft, Cephus found himself in a relatively good landing spot when the Lions selected him as the 23rd wide receiver off the board. While he began the season buried behind Kenny Golladay, Marvin Jones, Danny Amendola and Marvin Hall, the prolonged injury to Golladay has given him the chance to play 31% of snaps (251) and the recent release of Hall could create even more opportunities (he played 46% of snaps in week 13 without Hall.)
In his first nine games as a rookie, Cephus has caught 14 of 25 targets for 237 yards and a touchdown and his biggest fantasy game came on Sunday against the Bears. While he caught just two passes for 63 yards, his 49-yard touchdown in the second quarter – when he got over the top of the defense and subtly created space to make the over-the-shoulder catch by gently nudging the defender away – was a sign of what he could become for Detroit.
Although there is a long way to go for him to be a useful dynasty asset, the contract status of all the other receivers in Detroit may point to Cephus getting an opportunity for a big bump in playing time as soon as next season. With Golladay, Jones, Amendola and Mohamed Sanu on expiring contracts, he’s literally the only wideout signed for 2021.
To this point in his career, Cephus has been as close to free as there is for dynasty managers. Never selected before the very end of the third round in rookie drafts (and sometimes going undrafted in four-round drafts), he remains very affordable. In fact, it won’t even cost a third-round rookie pick to acquire him. The DLF Trade Finder displays recent one-for-one swaps for Zach Pascal, Duke Johnson, Malcolm Brown and Keelan Cole along with multiple deals for a fourth-round rookie pick.
While Cephus is no lock to ever crack any fantasy starting lineup, his killer instinct with the ball in the air and excellent hands – plus his potential to get playing time next season – make him an intriguing long-term asset worth a spot at the back of any dynasty roster.
- League Tycoon: Dynasty Salary Cap Fantasy Football - December 15, 2023
- Final Dynasty Rookie Report Card: Wide Receivers, Part Two - March 22, 2023
- 2023 NFL Scouting Combine: Offensive Player Dynasty Review - March 10, 2023
