When the Indianapolis Colts were on the clock with their second pick in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft, they made a shocking move by trading up three spots for running back Jonathan Taylor.
Despite the pick being more of a luxury selection, the Colts were enamored by Taylor’s fit in the offense and his ability to make the entire unit more explosive. But with Marlon Mack already there, Taylor could be in for a timeshare to begin his career.
Even with that, Pro Football Focus believes Taylor has the best situation among rookie running backs coming out of the 2020 draft.
When the Colts moved up to select Taylor at pick No. 41, it was a rare occasion for two reasons. He became the first Colts running back drafted before the fourth round in Chris Ballard’s tenure as general manager. That and the fact that Ballard traded up to do so for only the third time in his career tells me all I need to know about how many carries Taylor will command in 2020. He also goes to a Colts offensive line that finished last season ranked third in PFF’s offensive line rankings and is the only one of the top five to return all five starters. It’s hard to be in a much better situation than that.
While Taylor likely won’t be seeing 20 carries per game, the Colts aren’t going to baby his workload. He will split time with Mack but given the former’s ability to break off a big run at any time, he will see a strong share of work.
The Colts have said a few times this offseason that they envision a 1-2 punch in the backfield—or rather a 1a-1b type of split. Taylor is a better prospect than Mack was coming out, and there’s an argument he might be better right now as a running back.
Taylor might be in a timeshare to begin his career in 2020, but it wouldn’t be a surprise at all to see him take the lead role in the backfield by the time the season is over.
