The Indianapolis Colts made a surprising move in the second round when they selected Wisconsin running back Jonathan Taylor.
It was a bit of an odd move, but the Colts believe Taylor can make an immediate impact on their offense.
Many organizations are effectively using offenses that feature two running backs.
Taylor is a special talent that has all the size, speed, and power to be an elite level player in the NFL.
Odds to win NFL OROY:
Joe Burrow +250
Tua Tagovailoa +800
D’Andre Swift +1000
Jonathon Taylor +1100
Justin Herbert +1350
Jerry Jeudy +1400
Ceedee Lamb +1450
J.K. Dobbins +1800
Henry Ruggs +1900@BetThePigskin
pic.twitter.com/OSjMILydVa— Barstool Bets (@barstoolbets) March 27, 2020
Taylor’s College Career
Taylor has spent each of the last three seasons dominating in the Big Ten with Wisconsin.
He started off his college career with a bang and immediately put himself on the radar.
He rushed for 1,977 yards on 299 attempts and 13 touchdowns during his freshmen season in college.
Taylor followed up that season with 2,194 yards on 307 attempts and 16 touchdowns during his sophomore campaign.
It shouldn’t come to a surprise to anyone that his junior season was just as good as the years prior.
During the 2019 season, Taylor rushed for 2,003 yards on 320 attempts and 21 touchdowns.
Taylor finished his college career with 50 rushing touchdowns through 41 games.
Could Taylor Win Rookie of the Year?
Taylor currently has the fourth-highest odds to win Offensive Rookie of the Year, according to BetMGM.
Only quarterback Joe Burrow, running back D’Andre Swift, and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa have higher odds to win than Taylor.
However, Taylor will be sharing the backfield with running back Marlon Mack during the 2020 season.
It depends on how the Colts split up the carries, but Taylor’s chances of winning could be hindered by the fact that Mack will get chances as well.
The goods news is, Taylor comes from an offense that is well-versed in running the football.
He can fit in both a power and zone scheme and the Colts run both.
Taylor is a good fit for the Colts offense, so it does make sense why Indy used their second-round pick on him.
Most 10+ yard runs in a season since 2014:
1. Devin Singletary (2017) – 62
2. Jonathan Taylor (2019) – 61
2. Jonathan Taylor (2018) – 61
2. Jonathan Taylor (2017) – 61 pic.twitter.com/H1KNPNFlpB— PFF Draft (@PFF_College) April 24, 2020
Will A Mack/Taylor Backfield Work?
The Colts have an explosive offense on paper, so both running backs should get plenty of work next season.
The first season could get a bit messy because of the timeshare between the two.
However, Mack is set to become a free agent after the 2020 season, so Taylor is expected to be the future at running back.
Taylor has the talent to still win OROY despite not getting quite as much time on the field as the other offensive rookies.
It really will come down to how the Colts decide to manage this one-two punch between Mack and Taylor.
This is the first time the Colts have had this talented of a backfield in quite some time.
It wouldn’t be surprising for this to take a few weeks before the organization has a good idea on how to utilize each back effectively.
The Colts offense should be one of the top units in football, so this should be an exciting season.
Taylor might even be able to bring home some hardware at the end of the year if things go in the right direction.
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