Though the running back position wasn’t one of the more pressing needs for the Indianapolis Colts entering the 2020 NFL Draft, they still felt it necessary to trade up for Wisconsin product Jonathan Taylor. This raised many questions about what will happen with incumbent starter Marlon Mack.
As the pair are expected to split the workload on early downs in the backfield, Mack has had nothing but a positive attitude towards the arrival of the two-time Doak Walker Award winner.
In fact, Mack believes Taylor is going to have a very successful career in the NFL—going as far as calling him a beast.
Colts running back Marlon Mack, speaking for the first time since the team drafted Jonathan Taylor the second round this spring: “We can be great together … the dude is gonna be beast. Just wait.”
— Zak Keefer (@zkeefer) August 21, 2020
Mack himself hasn’t been too shabby since entering the league. He held a complementary role during his rookie year in 2017 behind Frank Gore but took over the starting role in Week 6 of the 2018 season upon return from a hamstring injury.
The fourth-year running back has been seen taking the vast majority of first-team reps through the first week of training camp, which is to be expected after head coach Frank Reich essentially named him the starter in a hot-hand backfield.
Mack has been efficient and explosive—one of the most explosive running backs from the 2019 campaign. It was a career year for the USF product who set career-highs in carries (247) and rushing yards (1,091) while posting eight rushing touchdowns.
And while many believed Mack would be in line for an extension, it appears that isn’t in the plans for the Colts right now. After drafting Taylor, it doesn’t seem to make sense that the Colts would re-sign him unless they get him for cheap.
Even so, the duo of Mack and Taylor can make a massive impact in 2020. Taylor is the perfect blend of size, speed and explosiveness while Mack has been known to terrorize opposing defenses when he gets hot.
