Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor may play a position of severe scrutiny, but that doesn’t make him any less of a star going into his third NFL season.
The former second-round pick led the NFL in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns during the 2021 season while also becoming the youngest running back to ever eclipse 1,800 rushing yards in a single season.
At just 23 years old, Taylor is already arguably the best running back in the league. Trevor Sikkema of Pro Football Focus ranked him as the third-best player under 25 years old—behind only Nick Bosa and Justin Herbert.
“After averaging more than 2,000 rushing yards per season in three years at Wisconsin, Taylor continued doing what he does best with 1,169 rushing yards as a rookie. He followed that up by becoming the youngest player in NFL history with at least 2,000 yards from scrimmage and tying the record for most consecutive 100-yard rushing games while tallying 1,811 rushing yards and 366 receiving yards in 2021. He led the NFL in scrimmage yards, rushing yards and rushing touchdowns (18) at just 22 years old. He’s also averaged an impressive 5.0 and 5.5 yards per attempt in each of the past two seasons. If Taylor stays healthy, he’ll be one of the best backs in the league for a long, long time.”
Even with the volatile play of Carson Wentz during the 2021 season, Taylor showed he can be the type of elite running back capable of carrying an offense. While that’s not the most ideal game plan for a team, the fact that it’s possible is encouraging.
With Matt Ryan now under center, the Colts should have a more consistent offense. Taylor will still be a massive part of the game every week but potentially without the play-to-play concerns that a drive could end at any moment.
We’ll see what 2022 has in store for Taylor, but he’s already vaulted himself into the elite status of young players around the league.
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