MADISON, Wis. – Jonathan Taylor had to sit until pick No. 41 pick to hear his name called, but it was worth the wait for the former University of Wisconsin running back, who was selected by the Indianapolis Colts in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft Friday.
Taylor is the first UW tailback selected in the NFL draft since Montee Ball (2013), James White (2014) and Melvin Gordon (2015) were drafted in three consecutive years.
The first round of Thursday's draft was heavy on wide receivers (six in the first 25 picks), offensive tackles (six), cornerbacks (six) and quarterbacks (four, including three in the top six).
LSU’s Clyde Edwards-Helaire was the lone running back selected Thursday, taken with the 32nd pick by the Kansas City Chiefs. It is the second consecutive year that just one running back was picked in the first round.
Edwards-Helaire likely got the nod over Taylor from the Chiefs because he's younger and developed as one of the best all-around backs in the country for the 2020 national champions, rushing for 1,414 yards and 16 touchdowns to go along with 55 catches for 453 yards.
But it's hard to overlook what Taylor could bring to the NFL. The two-time reigning Doak Walker Award winner as the top running back in college football, Taylor finished his junior season with 2,003 yards, becoming only the third tailback to have multiple 2,000-yard seasons. His career rushing total of 6,174 yards ranks second all-time in the Big Ten, trailing former Wisconsin Badgers back Ron Dayne by 951 yards. Taylor also left college third on the NCAA’s all-time “official” rushing list, trailing San Diego State’s Donnel Pumphrey by 231 yards.
While Taylor rushed for more yards as a sophomore, he became a more complete back this past season. Working in the offseason to be more dynamic in the passing game, Taylor caught a career-high 26 passes for 252 yards and his first five receiving touchdowns. For his career, Taylor finished with 55 touchdowns in 41 career games.
“He's everything that you would want to be in a teammate,” Wisconsin coach Paul Chryst said following the Rose Bowl. “I've loved seeing his progression as a leader on this team, and unbelievable care for his teammates. That's where it starts. And unbelievable example of how you approach every day.
“It's impressive what he's done on the field, and it's incredibly impressive who he is and how he's done it, is more impressive to me.”
Taylor ran a 4.39-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine in February, a time that was one hundredth of a second faster than Saquon Barkley in 2018. Proving it wasn’t a fluke, Taylor ran an unofficial 4.42 on his second 40-yard dash.
Weighing in at 226 pounds, the third-heaviest at his position, Taylor joined Barkley as one of just two backs in the last seven combines to run a sub-4.5 at 225 pounds or more. His 40-yard time at the Combine was also faster than bigger backs Adrian Peterson, David Johnson, Ezekiel Elliott and Nick Chubb when they did the drill out of college.
Taylor’s BadgerBlitz Draft Profile
Strengths: It’s hard to argue with the career numbers Taylor delivered. A well-built, productive runner, Taylor ran with a tenacity between the tackles, showed patience to let his blockers open running lanes for him and impeccable vision to make defenders miss. In all three seasons at Wisconsin, Taylor had exactly 61 runs of at least 10 yards in large part because of that bend and burst to break through the box. He has been lauded by multiple scouts because these traits work in multiple run schemes.
Pegged as more of a bruiser than a speedster, not only was his 40-yard dash the top time among running backs, Taylor tied for seventh fastest out of all tested participants (he also finished fourth among running backs in the 3-cone drill running a 7.01 and sixth in the 20-yard shuttle running a 4.24). Those numbers proved he was more than just a Wisconsin battering ram.
Weaknesses: When it comes to Taylor the running back, the main concern is fumbling. An issue that came and went throughout Taylor’s career, he fumbled 15 times over three seasons.
Looking at Taylor the receiver, he worked exceptionally hard on his pass catching entering his junior season. After catching just eight passes in each of his first two seasons, Taylor upped that total to 26 last season and registered 252 yards (9.5 average) and five touchdowns. It’s a step in the right direction, and he looked good with his route running and passing catching during the NFL Combine and UW’s Pro Day, but it still requires more attention and development from him to make him dynamic in the passing game.
